Cape Cautioned
by ThereseM
Summary: A Deadliest Catch Story. Featuring the crew from the Cape Caution. Does contain strong language and adult sexual situations.
1. Chapter 1

Two dark figures proceeded somewhat unsteadily down the dock. They pair avoided the street lamps illuminating the wooden planks. The bundle they passed between each other looked like no more than a sea bag, containing clothes. If anyone had seen them they would have assumed they'd gone ashore to do laundry and had too many drinks waiting for the clothes to dry. But that wasn't it at all.

"Jump down first and then I'll hand her to you" said Zack Larson.

"Ok, but don't throw her, it's a long way down" said Nick McGlashan.

"I know" said Zack, shifting the body in his arms.

Nick scurried over the side of the boat and dropped noiselessly to the deck. He positioned himself under Zack and signaled for him to let go. Zack took a deep breath, said a prayer to the sea gods that this girl didn't split her head on the deck and let go. Nick shifted an inch to the side and caught her with careless ease. Zack hopped down on the deck and the pair hustled their bundle inside. They moved through the galley and narrow hallway then slipped into their stateroom. As far as they knew the others were still out in town getting shit faced.

"So now what?" asked Zack. "You wanted to bring her here, now what?"

"She's obviously been drugged, she can just sleep it off here and we can take her back to town when she wakes up" explained Nick.

"How long do you think we have before my dad comes back and is ready to drop lines and go?" asked Zack.

"We still have some prep to do, we have at least 14 hours" said Nick nonchalantly.

"How did this even happen?" asked Zack.

"Well, I didn't do it" said Nick. "She was sitting at the bar with some friends, I danced with her a couple of times, she went back and got her drink, we danced some more and she started to feel weird. Some random guy came up insisting he take her off my hands and I got a weird vibe. That's when I found you and we came back here."

"So...why did we come back here?" asked Zack. "We could have gotten her a hotel room, or given her to the Deadliest Catch guys to take care of."

"I like her and want her to know that I was keeping an eye out for her safety" said Nick, a hint of pride slipping into his voice.

"You think she's going to wake up on a crab boat in a filthy state room that smells like one part feet and two parts ass and think you are her hero?" said Zack incredulously. "We need to take her back where we found her before they send out a search party and we get our asses thrown in jail."

"Dude, relax" said Nick. "She's fine here, she has a phone and can send a note to her friends or parents or whoever when she wakes up."

The sound of pounding feet startled the boys and they quickly found a blanket to the throw over the prone body on the bed.

"Hey Zack!" boomed Captain Wild Bill's voice. "You here?"

The door swung open and both Zack and Nick slid together shielding the bed from the captain.

"We're here, what's up" said Zack, attempting to keep the panic out of his voice.

"We have some bait to load, I want to get it done tonight" said Wild Bill.

"Roger" said Zack, "I'll get right on that."

"And double check we have everything we could possibly need in case something breaks while we're out at sea" said Wild Bill. "I don't want to come back to town until the tanks are loaded."

The door slammed closed and both boys let out the breaths they'd been holding.

"She's got to go" said Zack.

"She's passed out" said Nick. "What are we going to do, carry her out again? Your dad is in the wheelhouse I can hear him up there, he's going to notice an unconscious, half naked girl being hoisted over the rail and onto the dock. He may even have a few questions about it."

Zack swiped his hand over his face, wondering why he'd chosen to be a crab fisherman instead of perhaps anything else. He moved the blanket back and looked at the sleeping girl. For the first time he noticed what she was wearing. The dress was a short lace number and it had ridden up showing a tiny sliver of pink underwear. He recovered her with the blanket and searched the room for her purse. He found it on the floor next to the door and slipped it under the pillow.

"We have to go load that bait" said Zack.

"We can't leave her here by herself, she might wake up and get scared" said Nick.

"I can't load the bait by myself" said Zack.

Nick was caught between a rock and a hard place, but if he helped Zack then the bait would be done faster and he could return to sleeping beauty.

The bait boxes swung over the deck on pallets, being guided down by long trailer ropes. Once they landed the bait brigade started to toss them to the freezer in the bow of the boat. All four crew members were back on board and the familiar routine had everyone working on auto-pilot. With the last of the bait on the boat all that was left was dumping the fresh cod into the bait bin and dropping lines.

"Who's cooking this trip?" asked Myles.

"I think it's Zack's turn" said Nick.

"Whatever, I don't mind" said Zack.

The guys joked around Zack's cooking ability and how he'd make someone a nice house husband someday. The moment he and Nick heard that comment they remembered the sleeping girl in their bunk.

"Um, guys I'm going to check the galley and make sure I'm not missing anything for my famous spaghetti" said Zack.

Nick was about to follow him when he was stopped by Bill's voice over the hailer.

"Let's get out of dodge, get ready to throw lines" said Bill.

"Oh shit" said Nick, his voice almost a whisper.

"What's up boss?" asked Myles.

"Oh, you know the same shit, different day" said Nick. "I forgot to do something, that needs to be done before we leave town."

Zack slipped out of his boots and set them under his rain gear in the hallway. He walked slowly towards his stateroom, mentally going over all the different ways they could get this girl off the boat without his dad noticing. His mind was miles away when he literally ran into his dad.

"Hey, earth to Zack" said Bill, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Oh shit!" exclaimed Zack.

"Sorry buddy, didn't mean to scare you. But we need to go over the engine room stuff" said Bill.

"Yeah, just let me get something out of my room" said Zack.

"Fine, we can talk while you get it" said Bill.

"Nah, I don't need it for what we're doing" said Zack, turning quickly.

The pair walked towards the engine room. Zack passed Nick walking into the galley. The boys shared what could only be called a desperate psychic conversation both trying to convey to the other one what needed to be done.

Hours later the boat slipped away from the dock, Zack and Nick sat next to each other in the galley, the crew was having a quick meal before they racked up for the long ride to the fishing grounds.

"So we're cool" said Nick.

"Yeah, totally" said Zack.

The meal was finished and the guys washed the dishes while the other members of the crew went to bed. Zack went up to see if his dad wanted anything before he went to bed.

In the wheelhouse, Bill consulted the charts and the plotter as he decided where to drop his pots. It was unseasonably warm for King season and the window in the wheelhouse was open, allowing the cool sea air to swirl around the room.

"Dad, do you need anything?" asked Zack.

"Do you have something to tell me?" asked Bill.

"Um, what?!" replied Zack, his heartbeat speeding painfully in his chest. "No."

"Ok" said Bill, his voice nonchalant.

"Why?" asked Zack, his stomach sinking.

"No reason, just thought you'd like to get something off your chest" said Bill.

"I don't have anything on there to get off" said Zack.

"Well have a nice nap, I'll let you guys know when we get to the grounds" said Bill.

Zack eyed him suspiciously for a moment then turned around and headed down the stairs. Once he was out of sight Bill laughed out loud and turned to the camera.

"Still got it!" he said triumphantly. "I can still freak my kid out with one little sentence."

He turned back to the window and watched the Cape Caution slowly stretch it's way across the Bearing Sea.

Zack walked slowly back to his stateroom his mind swirling with what his dad could possibly know. The girl was gone, Nick had seen to that, the engine was in perfect working order and all the necessary parts for a Bearing Sea breakdown were on the boat. He had no idea what his dad was talking about.

"He's probably just fucking with me" said Zack to himself.

He waved the camera guy away and walked into his room.

The moment Zack opened the door he knew something was wrong. Nick was holding his hand over the mouth of the girl they'd "saved" in Dutch Harbor. Zack reached out to steady himself as the world tipped onto it's side and he felt the corners of his vision start to blacken. Nick starred at him with wide eyes.

"I thought you'd taken care of this" they both said simultaneously.

"What are you talking about" they said together again.

The girl wrenched Nick's hand away from her mouth and backed into the corner of the bunk.

"You said she was gone, that you'd gotten her off the boat" said Zack.

"When did I say that?" asked Nick. "You left the deck to get her off the boat. At the table I asked if it was all cool, you said yes."

"I didn't get a chance to take her, my dad wanted to go over the repair stuff" said Zack. "I tried to tell you when we passed each other in the hallway."

"Tell me how?" said Nick, his voice rising. "Through what? Eyebrow movements?"

"I don't know, I would have thought you'd come in here at some point and realize she was still here" retorted Zack.

"Well obviously I didn't and now she's still here and we are nowhere near Dutch Harbor" said Nick.

At that moment the girl reached over, grabbed the trash can in the room and vomited into it. The sound of retching filled the room. Nick and Zack both looked up to the ceiling and sighed. They were well and truly fucked.

"Let's get her some water and crackers" said Nick.

"I have some here" said Zack, sifting through the shelf next to his bed.

Nick handed the girl the crackers and water.

"Little sips of the water" said Nick. "If you drink it too fast it will just come back up."

"My head hurts" said the girl.

"Yeah, it probably would" said Nick. "Someone put something in your drink at the bar, you were really out of it and eventually just passed out."

The girl just looked confused.

"He didn't put anything in your drink, we didn't" said Zack, attempting to explain the situation. "We, he wanted to make sure you were safe, some weird guy was trying to take you somewhere. We brought you back here to keep you safe."

The girl raised her eyebrow and took another sip of water.

"I know it sounds crazy" said Nick, "But at the time it made perfect sense."

"Your phone is right there in your purse" said Zack.

The girl pulled the purse out from under the pillow and dug out her phone. She pressed the button and the phone came to life. The small icon in the corner told her it was searching for a network connection. She set the phone on the bed and ate a few bites of cracker, her eyes never leaving the connection icon. After she'd finished the cracker and more water it became increasingly obvious that there was no service.

"It's not working" she said.

"Yeah, well you're in the middle of the Bearing Sea, so we don't get really good cell service out here" said Nick.

"I'm where?" said the girl.

"You're on the fishing vessel Cape Caution" said Zack, his voice almost proud.

The girl bent over the bed and deposited the crackers and water she'd just consumed into the trashcan.

Nick reached over and collected her hair, moving it into a makeshift ponytail at the base of her neck.

"I'm sorry, this wasn't my intention at all" he explained. "I just really liked hanging out with you and that guy was giving me the creeps and I knew you'd be safe here. Anyway my name is Nick, in case you forgot and this is Zack."

"I'm Celeste" said the girl, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. "Let me get this straight, you saw someone drug me, so you decided to take me back to this boat and one or both of you were suppose to get me off this boat before it left and neither of you did, so now I'm somewhere in the Bearing Sea."

"Yeah, basically" said Nick.

"Celeste is a really pretty name" said Zack.

Both Celeste and Nick starred at him.

"I mean, I think it's a pretty name" said Zack. "You may not like it, I mean I don't really like Zack, but it's who I am..."

Zack trailed off and then sat down on the floor.

"Thank you" said Celeste. "My astronomer parents named me."

"That's cool" said Nick. "My dad named me after shaving."

"That is the stupidest joke I've ever heard" said Celeste, laughing weakly.

"But it made you laugh so it wasn't a complete waste of time" said Nick.

"Very true" said Celeste with a shiver.

"I have a sweatshirt you can borrow, it can get kind of cold in here" said Zack.

He dug through his collection of hoodies and selected the nicest one. He handed it to Celeste who accepted it gratefully and slipped it over her head.

"It's a little big" she said, showing the sleeves spilling over her hands. "But it's fine, thanks."

"Are you hungry or do you need anything?" asked Nick.

"No, I just want to sleep, my head hurts a lot" said Celeste, her blinking slowing.

"It's probably the drugs, they are still working through your system" explained Nick.

"For someone who didn't drug me, you seem to know a lot about it" said Celeste.

"I watch a lot of tv" said Nick.

Celeste didn't hear the last comment because she'd curled herself up into the bunk, pulling Nick slightly as she did. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling the blanket over both of them.

"What the fuck do you think your doing?" hissed Zack.

"She's tired and not feeling good" said Nick. "I'm comforting her."

"She can't be here!" said Zack.

"Well unless you have a time machine, that ship has sailed" said Nick, inhaling deeply.

"Are you smelling her hair!?" said Zack.

"She smells really really good" said Nick. "Take a sniff, it's sort of flowery."

"I don't want to smell her" said Zack. "What are we going to do with her?"

"We'll just keep her hidden until we offload and then get her back to town" said Nick. "We can't hide her in here" said Zack. "She's not a kitten you found on the street, she's a person. You don't think someone is going to be looking for her? A job, her friends, her parents, the police?" said Zack, his voice rising.

"You better keep it down before the camera guy hears" said Nick sagely. "They love a good argument."

"We can't hide her from the camera guys, they are everywhere" said Zack.

"Well then just tell your dad and maybe he will take her back to Dutch now" said Nick.

"I'm not telling my dad" said Zack. "You tell him, this was your idea."

"Yeah, but you should have talked me out of it" said Nick. "So really it's your fault."

"You're fucking crazy, I did try to talk you out of it" said Zack. "He can't blame me, this is totally not my fault."

"You could have walked away instead of dropping her onto the deck and carrying her into the room" said Nick.

"I fucking hate you" said Zack, his voice heavy with defeat.

"Let's get some sleep and we can figure it out when she wakes up" said Nick.

"Yeah" mumbled Zack, "maybe she will disappear because this has so be some sort of horrible nightmare."


	2. Chapter 2

Zack woke with a start as a small cool hand touched his stubble roughened cheek. He narrowly missed hitting his head on the side of his bunk. His eyes worked to focus on the blurry figure in front of him. Her head cocked to the side and a sliver of light illuminated her face. Her blonde curls made a halo around her head. A flood of memories hit Zack and he laid back down on the bed, bringing her to the boat, them casting the lines, her waking up, throwing up and going back to sleep with Nick.

"Zack" said Celeste quietly. "I need you."

The words floated in Zack's subconscious, scandalous thoughts circled through his sleep addled brain. He pictured the pink underwear, her legs, the lace dress bunched up over her.

"Zack" said Celeste more forcefully this time.

"Yeah?" asked Zack. "Do you want to climb in?"

"Not unless you want me to wet your bed" said Celeste.

This shook Zack from his fantasy. He sat up and looked at Celeste's sleep rumpled appearance. Her legs were visible under his sweatshirt and she was wearing her heels.

"Going somewhere?" asked Zack.

"To the bathroom" said Celeste. "Here or in the actual room dedicated for such things."

"Right" said Zack, throwing his feet over the side of his bunk. "Where's Nick?"

"He said he had some stuff to do and said to ask you for anything I needed" said Celeste.

"Oh, right" said Zack.

"Zack" said Celeste, putting her hands on either side of his head. "If you don't show me where the bathroom is I'm going to find it myself."

"Right this way" said Zack, opening the door.

Celeste followed Zack down the hallway when he stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" asked Celeste in a whisper. "Is someone in there?"

"No, no one is in there" said Zack. "But I can't just be standing out in the hallway waiting for you to use the bathroom, if someone came by there would be questions."

"I don't have time for this" said Celeste.

She pushed Zack into the tiny bathroom and closed the door behind herself. She side stepped around him, pulled her underpants down and sat lightly on the toilet. Zack didn't know where to look, he turned quickly and found himself looking into the mirror. His eyes met hers and she smiled. He immediately averted his eyes to the ceiling.

"You can look at me while I pee, it's not a big deal" said Celeste.

"It's not that I don't want to, it's just that" started Zack. "I just don't, um.."

"You know what, don't worry about it" said Celeste. "I'm sure you're not a virgin and have seen many things in your lifetime."

"Ha ha" said Zack, his awkwardness growing by the minute.

"Or maybe you are" said Celeste.

She'd stood up, flushed the toilet and was washing her hands when Zack finally turned around.

"Maybe I'm what?" asked Zack.

"A virgin" said Celeste, teasingly. "After all this whole toilet thing seemed to make you very uncomfortable."

"You don't think this whole situation is uncomfortable?" asked Zack.

"I find this whole situation completely unbelievable" said Celeste. "I imagine I'll wake up in a hospital with a serious head injury and to be told I'd been in a coma for the last several days."

"Me too" said Zack, which a pained sigh.

Zack and Celeste moved back into the stateroom. She sat down on Nick's bunk and looked around the room. She found her purse and pulled out her cell, powering it up she watched the cell search again for a signal. Zack sat down next to her and watched the phone with her for a moment before taking it and turning it off.

"You aren't going to get any signal out here" he explained. "But we do have internet on the boat, so you can send an email to someone if you'd like."

Zack pulled out his laptop and turned it on. He opened up a browser window and handed it over. Celeste thought about it for a moment. It would be the responsible thing for her to do, to inform someone that she was safe but she couldn't think of who to tell. She doubted anyone had even noticed she was gone. She pushed to computer back into Zack's hand.

"No, it's ok" she said. "I don't need to tell anyone."

"Seriously?" said Zack. "We didn't take you on purpose, if you are waiting to have us arrested at the dock you can just forget about it. We were trying to be nice, trying to save you from getting attacked by some sleazy guy. Don't try to turn this around like we abducted you."

Celeste's eyes widened as Zack's voice got louder and louder. She heard footsteps coming down the corridor and without another obvious option she leaned forward and kissed him. For a moment Zack tried to keep yelling but his body eventually registered that a beautiful girl was kissing him and his arms reached around and pulled her close. The footsteps stopped and then began to fade. But by that point neither Zack or Celeste could hear anything but the blood pounding in their ears.

Celeste pulled back, breathless. Zack leaned forward resting his forehead against hers. It took a few moments for their breathing to return to normal.

"What was that?" asked Zack, more to himself than Celeste.

"Sorry, you were shouting and I didn't want to get in trouble" said Celeste. "I hope I didn't upset you."

"No, quite the opposite" said Zack.

Celeste smiled and sat back down on the bed. After a few minutes of silence she shifted in her seat. Zack could tell she wanted to talk to him, but it was really the last thing he wanted to do.

"I have to go do some stuff" he said lamely.

"Sure" said Celeste. "But in the future if I have to go to the bathroom or if I get hungry, what am I suppose to do?"

"Um, yeah. Well, we can't have you roaming the halls or anything" said Zack with a crazed chuckle. "I'll let you know when we go on deck and then you can go to the bathroom during the time we're gone. As far as food, I'll bring you some of the leftovers and stuff."

Celeste's incredulous look told Zack, in no uncertain terms, that he'd said something very wrong.

"I mean, not that" said Zack, stumbling over his words. "We'll figure it out."

"How long do these boat trips tend to last?" asked Celeste.

"Oh, they can be quick, a couple days of fishing if it's hot or 2-3 weeks depending on when you get crab in the tank" explained Zack.

"I could be gone almost a month?" said Celeste.

"I mean probably not, my dad is awesome at catching Kings, it shouldn't be that long" backtracked Zack.

"On second thought need to check my email" said Celeste.

"Sure" said Zack.

He turned on the computer and handed it to her. Celeste typed in a website and then attempted to access her email. After it failed three times she huffed in disgust.

"It should work, but I can find out if the modem is down or something" said Zack.

"No, it's not that" said Celeste. "The server doesn't recognize this computer and won't let me access my email."

"Is it a work computer or something?" asked Zack casually.

He'd seen the address she'd put in and unless he was mistaken she put some government website in his browser.

"Am I going to be on some watch list because of this?" he asked casually.

"I doubt it" said Celeste. "I'm an analyst for the Federal Trade Commission. Just looking at the price of Alaskan seafood this season in regards to the Asian markets."

"Oh, like the price of crab" said Zack.

"Yep" said Celeste.

"So are you here by yourself?" asked Zack.

"Yes, I came up here to see the price of crab at the docks and in the canneries before I follow it over to Japan. I figured I could get a better idea of what the price would look like if I got up here before the season started. Get a feel of the quota and where each boat was going to fall" explained Celeste. "That is why no one is going to know I'm gone, because I'm already gone."

"But what about all those girls you were with last night?" asked Zack.

"Just some people that sat with me at the bar" said Celeste. "I didn't know any of them."

"So, no one knows you are here in Dutch Harbor?" asked Zack. "Where are you staying?"

"The Aleutian" said Celeste. "My stuff will still be there when I get back. The room is being paid for by my company credit card. I don't have a check out date or anything."

"They guys at Deadliest Catch could probably check on stuff for you, their home base is out of that hotel" said Zack.

"Wouldn't that blow your whole plan of hiding me?" said Celeste.

"Probably" said Zack. "But I feel bad that this whole thing is happening. I mean this wasn't our plan at all."

"I know" said Celeste. "I'll do my best to stay out of sight."

Zack smiled, his eyes tinged with regret. This was not the situation he wanted to find himself in. This girl's life could be ruined, she could lose her job or worse if something happened on the boat no one would know she was there.

Nick worked with Myles finishing up the bait set ups and stringing the cod. The best way to keep everything running smooth on the boat was to be prepared and have everything ready for when Wild Bill wanted to drop his pots. The weather was actually pretty nice and Nick was working in just a sweatshirt and his rain pants. Myles was actually holding his own on the bait set ups but Nick was hesitant to leave him to do all of them. His mind however was not on prepping for the season, it was on the girl he left in his stateroom. He'd woken up and just watched her sleep for thirty minutes before he'd gotten out of bed.

"Boss?" said Myles for the third time.

"What?" said Nick, shaking the cobwebs from his head.

"We're done" said Myles, pointing to the full bait bin.

"Roger, nice work" said Nick.

"I'll hose off the deck and then we can see what Zack has made us for dinner" said Myles.

"Yeah, I'll head in and see if Zacky boy needs any help" said Nick.

Nick weaved his way through the pots stacked on deck. From where he was walking he could see the sun dipping into the western sky. The reddish pink sunset was quite pretty, he wondered if Celeste would like to see it. He walked through the small hallway where the crew stored their rain gear. He slipped off his gear and hung them on his hook. Slipping his feet into his boat slippers he padded towards his stateroom. He only had a few minutes before the sun would be completely set and he didn't want Celeste to miss it. As he passed the galley he saw Zack cooking at the stove.

"Hey" he said in passing.

Zack responded with a nod of his head and then went back to what he was doing.

"Don't forget to set an extra place" said Nick.

"What?!" said Zack, dropping the pan he was holding.

Zack rushed around the galley table and pinned Nick to the wall.

"She can't leave the room" said Zack. "She needs to stay hidden until we get back to Dutch."

"We can't just leave her in there" said Nick. "That's just cruel. She's not our prisoner."

"She can't be out here, my dad can't know and neither can the rest of the crew or the camera guys" said Zack, his voice getting low and angry.

"Dude, I get it" said Nick. "I'm just going to take her outside so she can see the sunset, you know cheer her up a little"

"Do you have cod guts in your fucking ears" raged Zack. "She can't go outside, she can't eat with us, she can't do anything except sit in that stateroom."

"Dude, chill" said Nick. "I've got a plan."

Nick patted Zack on the back and walked down the hallway towards the stateroom. Zack turned around just in time to save the steak he was making from burning. He sped up his plan for dinner. The sooner everyone was eating and busy the better.

Nick walked into the stateroom with a smile that quickly faded to a frown. He couldn't see Celeste anywhere. His bunk was neatly made and some clothes were folded in the middle. He shut the door behind him and made his way further into the room. He scanned the floor and the small cluster of shelves. He glanced up at Zack's bunk and saw that it was unmade and that one of his sweatshirts was crumpled in the far corner, the same sweatshirt Celeste had been wearing. He reached up to touch it and when he did it moved.

"Oh shit" yelled Nick, jumping back and slamming into the closed door behind him.

"Shhhh" said Celeste, emerging from the unmade bed. "I didn't know it was you."

"Oh my god, my heart" said Nick breathlessly. "I'm having a heart attack."

"Hey boss, you ok in there?" came Myles' voice from the other side of the door.

"Yeah" said Nick, doing his best to sound calm. "Just Zack playing a joke on me."

"Oh, sounds like it was a good one" said Myles. "It's chow time."

"Roger, I'll be right out" said Nick.

He waited for the footsteps to fade down the hall before he looked up again. Celeste had faded into Zack's bedding again.

"You're a regular where's waldo" said Nick. "Come down, I want to see if you're ok."

Celeste hopped down off the bed, her feet hit the ground noiselessly. She stood in front of Nick in her bare feet. The top of her head barely made it to his chin. He stepped back and placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her from side to side. Then pulled her hands out of the sleeves and inspected her nails, hands and wrists.

"Are you feeling ok?" asked Nick. "Any more throwing up?"

"I'm feeling ok, thirsty" said Celeste. "I haven't thrown up again."

"There's a whole case of water in the bottom shelf, help yourself to as much as you want, we've got plenty more in the bow of the boat" explained Nick.

Celeste sat down on Nick's bed and slipped her legs under the sweatshirt. Her painted toenails and head were the only parts of her body visible.

"Are you cold?" asked Nick.

"Not really" said Celeste.

"I can try to find you some sweats or something" said Nick.

He dug through his clothes, grabbed his nicest pair of sweats and handed them to her. Celeste accepted the pants and slipped them on. She took her hand away and they immediately fell to the floor.

"I don't think these are going to work" she said, slipping her feet out of them and passing them back to Nick. "Anyone smaller on the boat?"

"I don't think so" said Nick, mentally sizing up all the guys. "We're all definitely bigger than you."

"It's fine, I'll survive in the sweatshirt, I mean it's practically to my knees" said Celeste.

To make her point she lifted her arms out to the sides and did a little turn. The sweatshirt covered her thighs but was quite a bit north of the knee. Nick didn't mention this.

"I'm going to have some dinner, do you want me to bring you anything?" asked Nick.

"No, I'm not ready to eat anything" said Celeste.

She turned and sat down on Nick's bunk. Nick frowned for a moment and then smiled.

"You look bored" he said. "I have some awesome movies on my laptop. Here, I'll set it up for you."

"Ok, thanks" said Celeste.

Nick quickly set up the laptop and handed Celeste the speakers. When he left the room she was watching the opening credits of Kill Bill.


	3. Chapter 3

Celeste stood up and stretched her back. The long hours in the bunk were taking its toll on her. She was starting to get a little cabin fever. Nick and Zack had made sure she was informed when they went on deck. She had access to the bathroom and the kitchen while everyone was working. She was under strict orders not to cook anything and to try to be as quiet as possible. She turned off Nick's computer and plugged it back into the wall. She reached over at the stack of old magazines that the boys had been nice enough to find for her. She flipped through yet another issue of Maxim before reaching for the next magazine in the stack.

"Ah, playboy" said Celeste to herself. "I was wondering when you'd appear. Let's see what kind of literary magic you have between the pictures of giant boobs."

The magazine wasn't as awful as she thought it was going to be, the articles were interesting to read and the pictures were fun to look at. There was one particular picture of a girl posed on a bed that Celeste could not figure out. The pose was crazy and it seemed the girl must be double jointed or something. Deciding to see if she could replicate the pose she started to move around on the bed. Using the magazine as a guide she slowly moved herself into the position. It was at that moment that the guys came off the deck and into the stateroom. They found their unwilling roommate upside down with her legs spread.

"What are you doing?" asked Zack, quickly closing the door behind him.

"Look at that magazine and tell me if I'm doing the pose the same" said Celeste.

Nick reached over and picked up the magazine. He had a hard time concentrating on the actual pose since the model in the magazine was completely naked.

"I can't tell, the sweatshirt is throwing me off" said Nick.

Zack glanced over Nick's shoulder and then studied Celeste's prone form. Her pink underwear was on display and the sweatshirt was a couple inches away from showing her bra.

"Looks close, but we really can't tell until you lose the sweatshirt" said Zack.

"Fine, let me try it again without the sweatshirt" said Celeste.

She stripped off the sweatshirt and dropped it on the floor before getting back into the position. Zack and Nick shared a surprised look then both turned their stares to Celeste's almost naked form on the bed.

"Well?" she said anxiously.

"Looks just like it" said Zack.

Celeste rolled over on her side rubbing her neck.

"That was not as easy as it looked in the magazine" she remarked conversationally.

"Yeah, it did not look very comfortable at all" said Nick.

"I don't see why it would be a good pose" said Celeste.

"It makes your boobs look big and then your" began Nick.

"Who knows" said Zack, effectively cutting off whatever Nick was going to say.

"How was fishing today? Did you catch anything?" asked Celeste.

"We were just setting the pots" said Nick. "We're heading back to the first string to start pulling."

"So, what does that mean?" said Celeste.

"It means a big meal and then rest before we start hauling gear and hopefully catching lots of crab" said Zack.

"How long until we get back to Dutch Harbor?" asked Celeste. "I'm getting tired of being in this room."

"We can tell you're getting a little bored" said Zack with a knowing smile.

"I have a plan for tonight" said Nick.

Zack gave him a death glare but Nick just smiled in return.

The crew of the Cape Caution were devouring the baked chicken, rice a roni and vegetables that comprised their dinner. Nick and Zack were carefully keeping small portions of food on the sides of their plates to save for Celeste. Wild Bill was eyeing them suspiciously as they continued to take seconds and then thirds before finishing what was on their plates.

"Didn't your mom teach you any manners?" he asked. "Finish what is on your plate before you take more."

"Roger" said a chagrined Zack.

Nick pretended he didn't hear and continued to eat.

"Also, who the hell keeps eating my Dove ice cream bars" said Bill. "Those are mine and they have always been mine and no one has ever eaten them except me. So who ever is doing it better fess up."

Zack and Nick shared a concerned glance and then looked around the room in mock confusion.

"I didn't think any of you even liked them" continued Bill.

"We don't" chorused the crew.

"You say that and yet there are two missing" said Bill.

"Are you sure you didn't miss count" suggested Zack. "You know a man of your age does tend to lose some of their memory."

"The fuck did you just say" said Bill, his face getting red.

"It was a joke" said Zack. "I don't know who is taking your ice cream but I'm sure they are going to stop."

"They sure as hell better" said Bill.

The rest of the dinner passed without incident and Nick was able to save a small portion of food for Celeste.

Later in their stateroom Zack and Nick told Celeste in no uncertain terms that she was not allowed to eat anymore of Bill's ice cream bars. Celeste balked at the suggestion that they only belonged to one person and that he was counting them. She told the boys the box had 24 bars in it, certainly someone wasn't going to eat 24 bars of ice cream in 2 weeks.

"Fine, I promise not to eat any more of them" said Celeste with a pout.

"Since you've been such a good sport about all of this I have a surprise for you later tonight" said Nick.

"Ok, sounds intriguing" said Celeste.

"Yes, it does" said Zack warily. "Can you give us a second?"

"Do you want me to go somewhere?" asked Celeste, moving towards the door.

"No!" said the boys in unison.

"Just um cover your ears or something" suggested Zack.

Celeste gave them a quizzical look but covered her ears and turned around.

"What the fuck do you think you're going to do?" asked Zack.

"Nothing crazy, just take her up to the wheelhouse to look at the stars for a couple minutes" said Nick. "You'll have wheel watch, no one else will be up, it will be quick and she'll be happier."

"Fine, lets just make sure that everyone is asleep" said Zack.

"After the grind we just had, everyone is going to want to sleep" said Nick. "It's going to be fine."

"I swear to god McGlashan if this goes south you are taking one hundred percent of the blame" said Zack.

"Sure" said Nick.

Later that night the boat slipped quietly through calm seas. Wild Bill had relinquished the captain's chair and was assumed to be sleeping in his stateroom. Zack pushed the call button to his stateroom phone three times. That was his signal to Nick that the coast was clear. A few minutes later Nick and Celeste appeared in the wheelhouse. She was still wearing just the sweatshirt.

"We're going out on the back patio to look at the stars" announced Nick.

Zack's eyes slid sideways to the camera mounted to the panel in front of him. Nick just shrugged before pulling Celeste's hood over her head. Zack watched them walk outside and wondered how long it would be before the cold would drive them back in.

Outside Celeste marveled at how clear the sky was. The stars seemed close enough to touch. The milky way was visible and she watched in awe as the sky seemed to get even clearer.

"It's beautiful out here" she said quietly.

"Yea, the only light pollution out here are the boats and they are few and far between" explained Nick.

"It's like watching a show on the nature channel" said Celeste.

"If you can stand the cold for a little while longer, we'll probably see a shooting star" said Nick. "You can make a wish."

"I think I can stand it for a while longer" said Celeste.

She moved closer to Nick who put his arm around her. They both searched the sky for a wishing star. A few minutes later she was starting to shiver and Nick was worried that she was going to have to go back in.

"Let me hold you" said Nick. "That way I can keep your legs a little warmer."

Celeste nodded and jumped into Nick's arms wrapping her legs around his hips. The sweatshirt rode up slightly and Nick moved his hands to her butt to pull it back down. His movements pressed her harder into his groin. Just then Celeste started to squirm.

"I saw one" said Celeste.

"Make a wish" said Nick.

Celeste closed her eyes and wished she would get back to Dutch Harbor soon and safely.

"What did you wish for?" asked Nick.

"It's a wish, I can't tell you or it won't come true" said Celeste.

"Well, I'll tell you what I wished for" said Nick.

"But it won't come true" said Celeste.

"Maybe I should just show you" said Nick.

He leaned forward and captured her lips in a soft gentle kiss. Celeste smiled which signaled to Nick to deepened the kiss. Their tongues slid over each other and Celeste's hands fisted in Nick's hair. Before anything went much further Celeste shivered and Nick realized he needed to take her back inside.

Nick moved to open the door and found it impossible to open. He tried to look inside and saw the back of Zack's sweatshirt. He knocked quietly on the door and Zack didn't move.

"What's wrong?" asked Celeste.

"Nothing, Zack's standing in front of the door for some reason" said Nick.

"That's weird" said Celeste, her teeth starting to chatter.

"Well fuck, you're going to freeze to death if we don't get in there" said Nick.

This time instead of quietly knocking Nick pounded on the door. Zack turned around and his eyes were wild.

"She's going to freeze if we don't get inside" yelled Nick through the door.

Zack sighed and then opened the door. Nick ushered Celeste into the wheelhouse and moved her in front of the heater.

"Who the fuck is she?" asked the camera guy.

"She's no one, you didn't see anything" said Nick.

"What?" said the camera guy. "Are you fucking kidding me? There is a girl on the boat wearing nothing but a sweatshirt in the middle of a trip and you don't want me to say anything."

He moved to shift the camera he was reloading into place when Zack grabbed him by the front of his sweatshirt.

"No, dude" said Zack. "You didn't see anything, if you say anything you and your tapes are going to end up at the bottom of the bearing sea."

"Ok man" said the camera guy. "I got it."

He straightened his shirt and then left the wheelhouse. Zach turned to face Celeste and Nick, his fury about the situation not dissipating.

"What the fuck were you thinking?" said Zack, trying hard to reign in his temper.

"At least it was only a camera guy" said Nick.

"Only a camera guy?" said Zack. "He's going to tell the other camera guy, who's going to be up here and say something to my dad and then he's going to kill us."

"Don't worry about it" said Nick. "He said he wasn't going to say anything."

Zack just gaped at him and then turned back to the ocean.

"Thanks for letting me out of the room" said Celeste. "I hope it doesn't get either of you in trouble."

Nick just smiled at her.

"It's your turn at watch" said Zack. "I'm going to take Celeste back to the room."

Nick was going to ask her to stay with him while he had watch but figured that suggestion wouldn't be too well received.

"Good night Celeste" said Nick. "I hope your wish comes true."

"Good night Nick" said Celeste with a smile.

She dropped a kiss on Nick's cheek and then dutifully followed Zack down the stairs.


	4. Chapter 4

Zack walked Celeste down the hallway where she stalled in front of the bathroom. He looked back and she motioned with her head that she wanted to go in. Zack sighed and walked back a few paces.

"Go ahead" he said quietly.

"I want to take a shower" said Celeste quietly.

Zack raked his hand over his face and wondered if the sound of running water would wake anyone.

"Just come in with me, so if anything happens you can just say you're in the shower" said Celeste. "Please, I haven't been able to shower and I feel disgusting."

"Fine, but you have to hurry" said Zack.

The water was taking forever to warm up to Celeste's liking. Zack kept telling her to get in but the water was still too cold for her to stand under. Finally Zack pulled the sweatshirt over her head and all but pushed her under the spray. Taking off her now wet bra and underwear she quickly got use to the tepid water. Soaping her body she hurried to get every nook and cranny clean before moving on to washing her hair. Her choice of shampoo was limited to some two in one and she hoped her hair wouldn't suffer too much from one use. Zack was counting the minutes until Celeste would turn off the water. His heart was pounding so hard he didn't hear the knock on the door until the second knock.

"Yeah, I'm in here" said Zack moving towards the door.

"Zack, didn't you already take a shower?" said his father through the door. "Anyway finish up I need to talk to you."

"Roger" said Zack, stripping off his clothes and flipping off the light.

He pulled the curtain back from Celeste and got in with her. She looked as if she was about to say something when Zack quickly put his hand over her mouth.

"My dad is outside, he thinks I'm taking a shower" he whispered into her ear.

She nodded and finished rinsing the soap from her hair. Then they both heard the door handle turn. Celeste gracelessly dropped to the floor of the shower and moved into the corner of the cubicle. She hoped that the darkness of the room and the shower spray would make her look like a strange shadow.

"Zack, you're taking for fucking ever" said Bill coming in to the dark bathroom. "Why is it so fucking dark in here."

"Sorry dad, I have a headache" said Zack, using his best tired voice. "The light was bothering my eyes."

"Oh, maybe it's a migraine" suggested Bill.

"Yeah, probably" agreed Zack. "What did you need?"

Zack's head was popped out of the side of the shower, Bill stood in the doorway.

"Anyway, I wanted to teach you a few things about some of the sensors in the engine room, but it can wait until after the next string. Take some time to rest up" said Bill.

"Ok, thanks" said Zack.

Bill smiled and backed out of the bathroom closing to door behind him.

Zack let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and turned off the water. Getting out of the shower he grabbed a towel and quickly dried himself off before passing the same towel to Celeste. She took it gratefully and tried very hard to get her teeth to stop chattering. Once she was as dry as she was going to get she moved to put on her bra and underwear but they were still wet. Instead she just slipped the sweatshirt over her head and handed her under things to Zack.

"Can you please wash these?" she asked quietly.

Zack looked down at the small bra and panties in his hand and sighed, then nodded.

Celeste smiled and then slanted her eyes towards the door. Zack picked up the now soaked towel and wrapped her lingerie in it before opening the door and checking to see if the coast was clear. Confirming it was, the duo walked quickly into to the stateroom and closed the door.

Once inside the stateroom Celeste let out of breath she'd been basically holding since Bill knocked on the door. She flopped down on the bed on her back letting the stress of the last few minutes out in a series of muffled giggles.

"Oh my God" she said between fits of laughter. "That was the scariest five minutes of my life."

"Your life" said Zack, starting to laugh. "I think I just lost a few years off my life expectancy."

"Sorry" said Celeste. "All I wanted to do was take a fucking shower."

She moved forward and gave Zack a hug. Her cheek rubbed against his soft chest hair and she realized he'd only put on his sweats.

"God, your freezing" said Zack, putting her at arms length.

"Yes, well while you were chatting with your dad I was trying not to freeze to death when the water got cold" said Celeste, reaching her hands out to touch his exposed skin.

Zack felt her fingertips graze his chest sending shivers, that he wasn't sure was just from the cold, up his spine.

"Here, I'll warm you up" he said collecting her in his arms.

Celeste settled her head against his chest and listened to his hammering heart.

"Lets get under the blankets, I don't think you're getting any warmer said Zack. "I think I'm just getting colder."

"Sounds good to me" said Celeste.

She climbed into Zack's upper bunk, flashing Zack a quick peak at her butt. Zack climbed in after her and settled next to her. She slipped her leg in between his allowing herself the most contact with his warmth. Zack pulled her close draping an arm over her and trying not to think about the fact that only his sweats were separating him from her nakedness. Moving his other hand he rubbed up and down her outer thigh, it was still cold.

"You're still freezing" said Zack conversationally.

"If you think that is cold, feel my butt" said Celeste.

Taking the suggestion Zack slid his hand up her thigh and over her bottom. It was freezing, just as she'd suggested but it was also incredibly soft. He stroked her bottom for a few minutes before suggesting she turn so it would be closer to him and not so cold. Celeste acquiesced and turned around so that she was facing the wall, Zack snuggled behind her pulling her butt flush with his groin. His hands went around her waist and they both fell into a fitful sleep.

Celeste listened intently as the guys worked on deck. The banging of pots along the side of the boat and the yelling of the captain over the speakers told her the crab fishing machine was in full swing. She'd woken up when Zack had gotten up but had promised to stay in the room until everyone was out on deck pulling pots. Nick had asked her how her adventure out of the stateroom had been and both she and Zack had laughed hysterically for a few minutes before telling him the whole story. Nick was shocked that Celeste's presence was still a secret after two close calls in one night.

"Ok, ready or not here I come" said Celeste to herself before opening the stateroom door.

She checked the hallway and found it to be blissfully empty. She padded into the bathroom and quickly peed, washed her face and brushed her teeth. Careful to check the hallway, she walked to the galley in search of something to eat. On the counter there was a muffin on a napkin. She snagged the muffin and grabbed herself a cup of coffee. The coffee pot was now basically empty and she knew that she couldn't leave it that way. So, she made a quick work of starting another pot. She started to take her breakfast down to the room when footsteps on the stairs made her freeze. She looked around for a quick place to hide and deciding that whoever it was wouldn't be down there for very long, slid under the table. She made herself as small as possible in the corner against the bench seat. The first thing she saw was a pair of plaid pajama pants and suede slippers walk past the table.

"Who the fuck ate the last muffin" said Wild Bill. "I swear to God, the crew this trip is just cruising for a fucking bruising."

Celeste looked down at the muffing she'd already taken a bite out of and grimaced. She quickly ate the rest of the evidence washing it down with the scalding hot coffee. The burn of the coffee in her throat made her eyes water but she managed to finish her breakfast without Wild Bill noticing her. Now she just needed to make it back to the stateroom.

"Well at least whoever ate it had the decency to make more coffee" said Bill.

Celeste smiled from her hiding place, glad she'd thought to refill the coffee pot. Her happy musings were interrupted by a body sliding into the end seat. Slippered feet settled under the table and stretched out. If the owner of those feet decided to move them a foot to the right Celeste would be found out.

"God, please let there be some crab in these pots" said Bill to himself. "I just want to get dialed in and get this first trip done before the weather gets crazy."

"Hey Bill" said a voice from the wheelhouse. "You're getting a call on the radio."

"Back to the grind" said Bill with a sigh.

Celeste waited until she was positive he wasn't going to come down again and made a mad dash to the stateroom. Once inside she realized she left her coffee cup under the table. Deciding it wasn't worth it to risk another trip out, she gave herself a mental reminder to tell Nick or Zack about it.

Eight hours later the guys trudge in from the deck, wet and exhausted. The string yielded enough crab that they set the pots back, which meant working double time to get them back in the water before the next one was on the bow. Myles picked up the laundry as he walked into the galley. Spreading it on the table the guys began to pick out which pieces were theirs. Zack looked off into middle distance wondering if he could just lay down for a minute before starting dinner. He was snapped out of his daydreaming by a hoot.

"Where did these come from?" asked Myles, holding up a pair of pink panties.

Zack looked down at the table and blanched. This was the exact moment that Wild Bill came down to the galley to tell the guys they'd done good today.

"Who's underwear?" he asked with a smirk. "If you're keeping them as a souvenir you're doing it wrong, you're not suppose to wash them."

"They're Zack's" said Nick suddenly. "He lost a bet so I made him wear them for a string."

Zack turned a horrified look towards Nick, who just shrugged in return.

"That sounds like a wicked bet to lose" said Myles, passing the underwear to Zack.

"It was awful" said Zack.

"Put those in a safe place dude, just in case their needed again" said Nick with a big smile.

"Nick volunteered to make dinner tonight" said Zack as he turned towards the stateroom.

Nick just nodded, a huge smile plastered on his face.

Zack opened the door to the stateroom and noticed Celeste curled in the corner of Nick's bunk. If he didn't know he was looking for her, she would be almost impossible to see. He tapped her on the back and she unfurled herself from her ball.

"I've got something for you" he said dangling her panties by one finger.

Celeste reached out to get them and gave them a tentative sniff. She smiled as her nose was filled with the sweet smell of fabric softener.

"We do know how to do laundry" commented Zack.

"Yeah, but they were mixed in with all the fish guts on your clothes" said Celeste. "Where's the bra?"

"Ugh" said Zack, realizing he was going to get a whole new ragging about the bra.

Celeste gave Zack a quizzical look and then stood up to slip on her underpants. She had one foot in it when the door handle turned. Moving like a cat she jumped behind the door just as it opened.

"Zacky, I found the other part of your sexy ensemble" said Wild Bill as he swung open the door.

Zack felt his heart explode in an uneven rhythm. The door stopped inches in front of Celeste.

"Oh, yeah" said Zack, his voice tinged with insanity. "The second half of the torture. Thanks."

"I can't even believe this thing would fit you" said Bill conversationally. "You seem much bigger than a 32C."

"What? You can tell a bra size by looking at it?" said Zack with a combination of confusion and awe.

"Yes, when I read the label" said Bill.

"Label, right" said Zack. "Well thanks for stopping by to drop it off. I'm going to try to catch a couple of zzs before dinner."

"Yeah, it was nice of Nick to take over for tonight" said Bill.

"Ha ha, yeah really nice" said Zack.

"He probably feels bad since we're all going to call you pink panties from now on" said Bill.

"Great" said Zack, "can't wait.

"Where are they anyway, from my quick glimpse I didn't see what kind they were" said Bill.

"Oh they're around here somewhere" said Zack glancing around.

Bill began to walk farther into the room to help Zack locate the precious pink panties. Celeste deftly kicked the panties out from behind the door while Bill was looking the other way.

"Here they are" said Zack, picking them up. "Here you can take them to study at your leisure."

He stuffed the panties in his father's hand and then ushered him out of the room.

"This is probably why you had such a bad headache the other night, squeezing your balls all day is not the best way to work" said Bill sagely.

"Yeah, you're totally right" said Zack.

He closed the door behind his father and slid to the floor. A moment later her saw a pair of pretty legs in front of his face.

"Did you just give my underwear to your dad to peruse at his leisure?" said Celeste.

"It was that or have him sit down on the bed to examine them and notice that the owner of said pair just happened to be hiding behind the door" said Zack. "By the way nice move hiding back there, I was sure he was going to crush you with the door."

"It was a close call but I think I had an inch to spare" said Celeste.

"Sorry about your um, underwear" said Zack.

"You're going to get them back right?" said Celeste.

"Of course, just sorry you don't have them right now" said Zack.

"What's another night with no panties, in the grand scheme of things" said Celeste.

"I'm going to lie down, I feel like I just ran a marathon" said Zack.

"Of course, I'm sure working on a crab deck is no picnic in the park" said Celeste, sitting down on Nick's bed.

"It's not the deck work, it's the constant heart attacks about getting caught" said Zack.

He climbed into his bed and collapsed in a heap. He felt his eyes had just closed when Nick popped his head into the room to tell him dinner was ready.


	5. Chapter 5

Nick walked into the stateroom and glanced around looking for Celeste. He found her hiding behind the door. He smiled slightly confused but happy she was safe and sound. Zack had try to tell him some weird story at dinner about how she was almost crushed by his dad.

"Had all the excitement you can stand for the rest of the day?" asked Nick.

"Yeah, I think I'm good" said Celeste with a smile.

"Zack's on dish duty for a while so if you want we can move the duffle bag in front of the door so no one will come barging in" said Nick.

"Have you ever considered putting locks on these doors?" asked Celeste.

"No" said Nick. "Probably because in an emergency we'd need to make sure everyone is up and out, locked doors would just slow us down."

"That makes sense" said Celeste.

"So, what have you done all day?" asked Nick.

"I've been playing that online poker game on your computer" said Celeste.

"That's cool" said Nick. "Wait, which game?"

"The one with your crab avatar" said Celeste.

"Oh shit" said Nick, moving to the bed.

He grabbed his computer and looked at his account. He leaned forward checking the balance again and again.

"Did you put money into it?" asked Nick.

"No, isn't it just a free online game?" asked Celeste.

"No, it uses real money" said Nick, staring at the screen.

"Oh, sorry" said Celeste. "I didn't think people actually wasted real money online."

"Well some do" said Nick.

He had pulled up all the games Celeste had played during the day. She seemed to be quite lucky, she'd only lost one tournament and she had folded early enough that he hadn't taken that much of a hit. Looking at the totals he realized that she'd made close to ten grand in a matter of hours.

"Wow, you won a lot" said Nick.

"Yeah, it was fun" said Celeste. "I didn't realize it was real money though. I wouldn't have played if I'd known."

"Why not, you seem to have quite a gift" said Nick.

"Because it's money, it doesn't grow on trees and shouldn't be wasted in some virtual poker room" said Celeste. "If I wanted to play poker for money I'd do it face to face."

"I bet you'd be pretty good" said Nick. "Maybe we can play a couple of hands later."

"Do you have cards somewhere?" asked Celeste.

"In the galley" said Nick.

"Would they be missed while you're on deck?" asked Celeste.

"Probably not, why?" asked Nick.

"Because I'm tired of staring at a computer screen and boobs" said Celeste with a sigh. "At least with the cards I can play solitaire."

Nick frowned, he'd hoped her little excursion the night before had cheered her up. But she seemed as bored as she was before.

Later that night after Nick and Zack had taken a quick power nap they collected the cards from the galley and started to play.

"What are the stakes?" asked Nick. "How about strip poker?"

"Um, I'm only wearing one thing" said Celeste. "That seems to leave me at quite a disadvantage."

"What about truth or dare poker?" suggested Nick.

Nick looked at Celeste who nodded in agreement. He then turned to Zack.

"Fine, as long as all dares stay in this room" said Zack.

"Great, first hand" said Nick.

The first hand was played slowly by all parties, all the participants sussing out their fellow players tells. Celeste was pretty sure that she could win the hand with the cards she'd been dealt. She was right and won the first three hands easily. The first hand she made the guys take off their shirts, the next she asked them what their last meal on earth would be, and then she asked the strangest place they'd ever masterbated. They both had the same answer, the boat.

"That doesn't seem that strange" remarked Celeste. "Considering you spend so much time on here. It's like a second home."

"Ok, then where is the weirdest place you've ever done it?" asked Zack.

"You should win a hand and find out" said Celeste.

"Yes, we should" said Zack, looking conspiratorially at Nick.

The next hand gave Celeste nothing, she tried to bluff her way to a win but ultimately lost.

"Where is the weirdest place you've ever masterbated?" asked Zack.

"On a plane" said Celeste simply.

"Care to elaborate?" suggested Nick.

"Nope, it's pretty simple" said Celeste. "I put my hands down my pants under a blanket and got myself off while sitting six inches away from the guy next to me."

"Wow" said Zack. "Weren't you worried about getting caught?"

"I didn't really care" said Celeste.

The boys didn't say anything else, Nick just dealt the cards and wondered what other secrets they'd find out before the night was over.

The next few questions were pretty benign, one asking about what she'd do with a million dollars and if she could live anywhere, where would it be. Celeste won the following hand and put forth another whopper.

"Ok, what's your favorite kind of sex?" she asked with a saucy grin.

"The kind that's free" said Nick with a laugh.

Celeste rolled her eyes, "that's not what I meant" she explained. "You know like oral, anal, vaginal."

"Ahh, I like all of them" said Nick.

"But what's your favorite?" pressed Celeste.

"Which ever one your willing to do" said Nick.

"You're in luck" said Celeste. "I like doing all of them."

The moment the words left her mouth the climate in the room changed.

"Nick, deal the cards" said Zack.

Nick did as he was told and Zack and Nick folded in record time. Celeste smiled and considered her next move.

"I dare you to kiss each other" said Celeste with a grin.

Nick and Zack looked at each other in shock.

"Do you mind if I confer with my associate?" asked Zack.

"Sure, go right ahead" said Celeste.

She placed her hands over her ears and turned around.

"I think we should ask for a caveat" said Zack.

"A what?" said Nick.

"A caveat, like she needs to take off her sweatshirt or kiss us first or something" said Zack.

"Ah, right" said Nick. "Sounds good. We can just give each other a peck on the cheek, she didn't specify what kind of kiss."

Zack smiled, realizing her mistake. He tapped Celeste on the shoulder and she turned expectantly to face the boys.

"We have a caveat" said Zack.

"Ok, lets hear it" said Celeste.

"You have to kiss each of us first" said Zack. "And then we will be happy to comply with your request."

Celeste thought for a moment before nodding her head in agreement.

"Who's first?" asked Celeste.

Zack motioned for Nick to go first. Nick stepped over to where Celeste was sitting and pulled her to her feet. He placed his hands on her cheeks and brought her towards him. His lips touched hers gently before he ran his tongue across the seam on her lips coaxing them open. Celeste parted her lips, allowing his tongue to enter her mouth. Their tongues danced over each other and Celeste found her hands tracing Nick's naked chest. Her fingers found his puckered nipples and she gave them a gentle pinch. Nick moaned into her mouth and was about to pay her back for the assault when Zack cleared his throat bringing them back to earth.

"My turn" said Zack.

He was standing behind Celeste and gently turned her around so she was facing him. Leaning down he captured her lips before settling his hands on her back. He deepened the kiss and ran his hands down to her bottom. Slipping under the sweatshirt his hands cupped her bare butt and lifted her off the ground. Her legs instinctively went around his hips crossing behind his back. Nick watched as Celeste slowly began to grind her hips against what he could only assume was Zack's cock. Not wanting to be left out he reached for the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled it up so he could get his hands around to touch her breasts. Nick found her bare breasts and palmed each of them with his sea roughened hands. Celeste moaned into Zack's mouth and ground even harder. Zack was pretty sure a few more moments and he was going to cum in his sweats. Before he could consider his next move Celeste broke the kiss.

"You haven't kissed yet" said Celeste detaching herself from Zack and standing up.

Nick moved his hands out from under her sweatshirt and pulled it back down. Nick and Zack stepped towards each other, both sporting some very impressive erections. Nick kissed Zack on the cheek and Zack in turn did the same to Nick.

"What?" said Celeste, her face falling. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

She turned and sat down in a huff.

"You didn't specify" said Zack, trying to pull her up to her feet.

"Deal another hand" said Celeste.

Nick, took a deep breath and settled on the floor to deal another hand of poker. Celeste picked up her cards and smiled. Nick and Zack both folded and turned expectantly to find out what their dare was.

"I want you to go get my panties" she said sternly.

"No" said Zack. "We agreed that all dares should be done in this room only."

"I don't care" said Celeste. "I want my panties back."

Zack and Nick exchanged hesitant glances before turning to face Celeste.

"We can't" said Zack. "It's too risky."

"Then I'm going to bed" said Celeste.

She climbed up to Zack's bunk and laid down.

Nick and Zack shared a look of utter disappointment before Zack announced he was going to the bathroom.

Wild Bill looked at the clock again. He was pretty sure that Nick had the next wheel watch and he was getting annoyed at how late he was. Deciding to forgo the boat phone, he planned to wake the cretin up in person. He stormed out of the wheelhouse and down the stairs to the stateroom. Opening the door he saw Nick sitting on the floor with a deck of cards.

"Well, what's going on Nicky?" he asked.

"Nothing" said Nick, trying his best to hide his shock. "Did you need something?"

"You are on wheel watch" said Bill. "And your late."

"Um, I don't think I'm on tonight" said Nick.

"Oh yes you are" said Bill. "Even if you weren't you are now. Put a shirt on and get up there."

Bill scanned the room and saw Zack's tell tale lumpy form in his bed. Deciding he deserved a little wake up too, he poked him.

"Hey, Zack-o, how's the head" said Bill as he poked.

His hand went farther into the sweatshirt then it should of and the body on the bed was a lot smaller than Zack's should have been. Grabbing the the back of the sweatshirt he pulled it and the occupant down onto the floor. Celeste landed with a thud and looked up. Zack chose this moment to walk into the stateroom and immediately tried to turn around.

"You aren't going anywhere" said Bill, not taking his eyes off of Celeste.

He hauled Celeste to her feet pulling the sweatshirt up as he did, revealing that Celeste was missing some very key articles of clothing.

"What the hell are you wearing?" he asked.

Celeste remained mute.

"Do you talk? Se habla espanol?" said Bill, he speech slow as if talking to a child.

Celeste's eyes narrowed.

"I'm wearing a sweatshirt and yes I speak english" she growled.

Bill was turning a darker shade of red by the minute. Zack was watching the hair on the back of his dad's neck stand up.

"Dad, can we talk about this" said Zack.

"Oh, we are going to talk about it" said Bill. "We're going to talk about it right now, up in the wheelhouse.

"Both of you idiots put shirts on" he said to Zack and Nick.

He turned to Celeste, his eyes murderous.

"Put something on your legs" said Bill.

He said something unintelligible and then stormed down the hallway and up the stairs to the wheelhouse.

Zack and Nick watched his retreating back.

"Guys" said Celeste from behind them. "I'm going to need some socks."

Wild Bill walked into the wheelhouse and he was spitting mad. He knocked something off the bench seat and threw the boat into neutral. One of the camera guys picked the worst moment ever to enter the wheelhouse. Bill turned to him and scowled.

"Sorry, Bill I'm just changing the tape" he said.

"Get out and take the camera with you" said Bill.

"Um, that's not how it works" said the camera man hesitantly.

"You either take it out or I throw it out" said Bill.

"Ok" said the camera man pulling the camera off the mount and taking it downstairs.

Wild Bill paced the wheelhouse waiting for Zack, Nick and the unknown girl to grace him with their presence.

The trio slowly slunk up the stairs to the wheelhouse. They'd waited longer than they planned in order to avoid the camera man in the galley.

"Get up here" yelled Bill.

The trio emerged from the shadows, Nick and Zack flanking the girls between them. She was still wearing the sweatshirt and now she'd added a pair of socks. The socks went well past her knees, but they were no substitute for actual pants.

"I told you to put something on your legs" said Bill.

"I did" replied Celeste.

"I meant pants" said Bill, his eye beginning to twitch.

"None of their pants fit me" said Celeste.

"Do you at least have some underwear on" said Bill.

"No, you are currently in possession of them, perusing them" said Celeste.

Zack grabbed Celeste's arm in an attempt to stop her from angering Bill more than he already was.

Bill ran his hand over his face and counted to ten, slowly, three times. Before pulling the underwear out of his pocket.

"Here you go, put them on" said Bill.

Celeste took the underwear out of his hand and unceremoniously slipped them on. Then in a show of complete insanity she lifted up the sweatshirt to ask Bill if they looked ok. Bill broke out into a blush which mottled into anger.

"Ok, that's enough of that" said Zack, pulling the sweatshirt back down.

"What the fuck do you think your doing on my boat" said Bill, his voice breaking in anger.

"I don't even want to be on your boat" said Celeste, her voice rising.

"Ok, lets start over" said Zack, desperate to diffuse the situation. "Dad, this is Celeste, Nick and I rescued her from a bad situation at the bar in Dutch. We brought her on board after she'd been drugged and let her sleep. Then we started prepping for the trip and I thought Nick had gotten her off the boat and he thought I had but it turned out neither of us actually had. We were already half way to the grounds when we noticed and we didn't want to cause a delay so we decided it would be better if she just stayed out of sight until we went back to Dutch."

Zack watched with baited breath as Bill considered what was said. After a few moments he turned to Celeste.

"Is this true?" asked Bill.

"As far as I know" said Celeste.

"What happened to your clothes?" asked Bill.

"I was wearing a dress, it's in the room but it was cold and uncomfortable, so Zack let me use his sweatshirt" said Celeste.

"And the underwear?" asked Bill.

"I asked Zack to wash them after it was unexpectedly soaked in the course of taking a shower" said Celeste.

"So, you've been wandering around my boat in just a sweatshirt?" growled Bill.

"No, I haven't left the stateroom except to go to the bathroom" said Celeste.

"You haven't eaten anything for the last five days?" asked Bill in alarm.

"No, the guys brought me some leftovers" said Celeste. "And I may have helped myself to a few snacks while everyone was fishing."

"You ate my Dove bars" said Bill, accusingly.

"Well, to be fair there were 24 in that package and your name wasn't on it" said Celeste. "I mean 24 bars of ice cream for one person, is a little ridiculous."

Zack wanted to pound his head against the wall. Celeste certainly wasn't making it easy on herself.

"I like my own things and everyone on the boat knows that" said Bill.

"Well I didn't and if it's not clearly marked how is anyone else suppose to know" countered Celeste.

"They know" said Bill. "This isn't some office lunch room where everyone puts their names on stuff."

"Well, to be fair I can't imagine you get to go out to lunch ofter or find a place that would deliver" Celeste said with a smile.

The smile was enough to make Bill laugh. It was a small laugh, but enough to tell Zack that they wouldn't be pulling Celeste out of the Bearing Sea, for the next few minutes anyway.

"Well, if that's all" said Zack. "We should get back downstairs."

The trio turned to go only to be stopped by Bill's gruff voice.

"Where exactly has Celeste been sleeping?" he asked.

"In our bunks" said Zack. "While we've been out on deck."

"And the hours that you haven't been on deck?" asked Bill.

"She's been in the bunk of whoever is on wheel watch" said Nick.

Bill eyed them suspiciously before nodding his head, telling them it was safe to go. Nick and Zack started down the stairs but Celeste was drawn to the port windows. She climbed up on the small shelf and gazed at the lightening sky. Bill watched her for a moment before he spoke.

"You can stay up here if you want" said Bill.

Zack and Nick both stopped looking between Bill and Celeste.

"I mean I can't imagine being trapped in an 8x8 stateroom for the past five days" said Bill.

Celeste smiled and walked to the bench seat behind the captain's chair and sat down. Zack and Nick shrugged their shoulders and headed downstairs to get a little rack time before the boat got to the next string.


	6. Chapter 6

**This chapter contains adult situations between consenting adults.**

Bill sits in his chair watching the guys on deck pull the last few pots of the string. Celeste sits silently on the bench behind him watching the chaos on deck. Her heart skips a beat as the boat pitches, splashing the bow and spraying the windows. She hasn't said a word since Bill gave her permission to stay.

"So do you talk?" asks Bill.

"Yes" replied Celeste. "But it seems like you should focus all your attention on what you're doing."

"It's fine, this is nothing" said Bill dismissively. "You can talk to me if you want to."

"Hmm" said Celeste thoughtfully. "I don't really know what to say."

"Ok then, I'll ask the questions" said Bill.

"Sure, shoot" said Celeste.

"So, I guess in your business you run into a lot of strange situations" said Bill.

"Um, not really" said Celeste, wondering how Bill knew what she did for a living.

"I mean a professional lady such as yourself must have some crazy stories" said Bill.

"No, wait are you inferring that I'm a hooker?" said Celeste, her voice tinged with anger.

"What do you like to be called, an exotic dancer, picking up some extra cash on the side" said Bill.

"Ok, slow your roll" said Celeste. "I am an analyst for the FTC. I see how quotas and prices here relate to the prices and purchases of the asian markets."

"You'd probably make more friends up here if you told them you were a dancer" said Bill.

"I'm ready to go back to not talking" said Celeste.

After telling the guys to secure the deck and then head inside he turned to Celeste to find her pouting on the bench.

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings" he said contritely.

"You just called me a hooker and then expect me not to be upset?" said Celeste.

"Well, to be fair I can't see how an intelligent woman as yourself, an analyst as you say, could find herself on a boat in the middle of the Bearing sea" said Bill.

"Me either" said Celeste dropping her head back to hit softly on the wheelhouse wall. "That's what I get for going anywhere other than the hotel bar."

Zack and Nick bound into the wheelhouse to see if Celeste has survived the string with Bill. They are surprised to see her thunking her head against the wall. Zack gives his dad a look and Bill just shrugs.

"Let's step back and start a little more benignly" said Bill. "Where do you live?"

"The hotel in Dutch or where ever I'm currently working" said Celeste.

"You don't have an apartment or a place you call home?" asked Zack.

"Like where do you go when you aren't working?" asked Nick.

"I go on vacation" said Celeste.

"Where is your furniture?" asked Bill.

"I guess I don't have any" said Celeste.

"So everything you own you carry with you in a suitcase?" probed Bill. "What about cool souvenirs you buy on your world travels?"

"Um, I send them to my parents house" said Celeste, her voice quieting.

"So do you visit them?" asked Zack.

"No, they are dead. They died when I was in high school" said Celeste, her voice barely above a whisper.

Zack, Bill and Nick sat in stunned silence.

"But then who took care of you?" asked Nick, suddenly.

"I, um I" began Celeste, tears trickling out of her eyes. "I had a guardian ad litem and I got emancipated shortly after they died, they were my only family."

"I'm so sorry" said Bill.

"It happened a long time ago" said Celeste wiping her eyes with the sleeve of the sweatshirt.

"But they're your parents" said Zack, wrapping Celeste in his arms.

Celeste buries her head in his neck, sobs wracking her body.

"I think share time is over for today" said Celeste, her voice muffled by Zack's body.

"Take her to my room, I'll have Myles make dinner" said Bill to both Zack and Nick. "Stay with her."

The boys nod and move her from the wheelhouse. Bill watches them go, wondering if the girl is going to be ok.

"Poor kid" he mutters to himself as he turns his attention back to the ocean.

Zack and Nick sit on either side of Celeste on Bill's bed. The room is clean and well organized. A huge big screen tv dominates one of the walls. Celeste notices nothing, her eyes are full of unshed tears.

"I'm sorry" said Celeste. "I haven't thought about it in so long."

"Shh" said Zack. "It's ok. Tell me about them."

Celeste takes a shaky breath and then starts her story.

"They were the most amazing parents a kid could ask for. My dad was a vet and my mom was an artist, both were amateur astronomers. I'm their only child and we spent a lot of time together. They gave me everything I needed but what I wanted I had to work for. They made sure I wasn't spoiled, even though I lived in a nice house and went to fancy schools. I learned to love life and realize that money was important but not the most important thing in the world. They were amazing people and I was lucky to have them as parents. They died coming home from a party, an accident on one of the winding beach roads. I was at a friends house and came home to a house full of cops asking who was going to take me. It was sort of a mess after that, my parents had named a guardian who'd died a few years earlier so I was considered a ward of the courts. It was only because one of my friends' parents that I didn't end up as a foster child. It was awful, but after a year I was declared an emancipated minor and was given control of my life. I went to college, like my parents wanted and then went to work." Celeste took another shaky breath before continuing. "So, I go home a couple weeks a year and the rest of the time it's rented out as a vacation home."

"Where is it? asked Nick.

"Um, Dana Point in California" replied Celeste.

Her eyes started to close and Nick and Zack lied down on either side of her. Celeste fell into an uneasy sleep rolling between her two lifelines.

Bill walked into his stateroom. He'd already sent the boys to the galley to eat. Myles was doing the wheel watch and he wanted to check on Celeste. She laid curled into a ball, facing the wall, in his bed. The bottom of the sweatshirt had ridden up and was showing most of her pink underwear. Bill sighed and moved his hand down to her back, rubbing it a few times to rouse her. Celeste sat up and blinked her eyes owlishly. She looked around for Nick and Zack before frowning.

"They're fine, just getting something to eat" said Bill. "I brought you something."

He produced one of the Dove bars.

"Are you sure you have enough to spare?" asked Celeste, raising an eyebrow.

"For you, I'll make an exception" said Bill, handing her the treat.

He sat down next to her and watched her unwrap the ice cream and take the first tentative bite. His breath temporarily left his body as her pink tongue licked the top layer of chocolate before her white teeth took a bite of the tip. She'd completely forgotten Bill was in the room. She licked and nibbled the ice cream until there was nothing but a stick. Then she closed her eyes and fell back into the bed. Bill watched the quick rise and fall of her chest.

"That was sooo good" moaned Celeste.

"It wasn't that good" said Bill.

"It was" insisted Celeste in her moaning voice. "It's the best thing about this boat."

"I'm sure there are better things" said Bill.

"I doubt it" said Celeste. "It would have to be more mind blowing than dark chocolate and ice cream."

Bill watched her with unabashed interest. She put the stick back in her mouth twirling her tongue around, making sure she hadn't missed anything. Satisfied she'd removed every trace she sat up and looked right into Bill's eyes.

"Thank you" she said her smile lighting up her face.

There was a tiny drop of chocolate on the corner of her mouth and Bill wanted to lick it off. He leaned down and quickly brushed his lips against her mouth tonguing the small portion of chocolate off her. His intention was to move away but her soft lips smiled and her tongue came out to meet his. In a moment he'd deepened the kiss, swirling his tongue into her mouth tasting the delicious combination or ice cream, chocolate and girl. As quickly as it had happened it was over.

"You missed a spot" said Bill, with a sly smile.

"Oh, well I'm glad you got a treat too" said Celeste with an easy smile.

"You can sleep up here tonight" said Bill.

"Where are you going to sleep?" asked Celeste.

"I'm heading to the next string" said Bill. "We're half way full."

"Full of what?" asked Celeste.

"Crab" said Bill. "Once we fill the boat then we can head back to Dutch."

"Oh" said Celeste brightly. "Awesome."

"So you can sleep here if you want" repeated Bill.

"Um ok" said Celeste. "If you don't mind."

Bill nodded his assurances and then headed out of the room.

Zack and Nick practically bounded into Bill's state room, laughing about how'd they'd never been more excited to go to the captain's room. Bill had mentioned casually that Celeste was going to stay in his room and the boys decided to pay her a visit. When they arrived Celeste was sitting on the bed playing solitaire with a deck of cards with naked ladies on them. She'd just flipped over a rather bushy ace when the guys walked in.

"Is there anything on this boat that doesn't have naked girls on it?" asked Celeste, showing them her card.

"Well to be fair, those are probably from the late 70's where shaving habits were slightly different" said Nick.

"How are you feeling?" asked Zack moving some cards out of the way to sit on the bed.

"Better" said Celeste. "Your dad gave me one of his precious ice cream bars."

"He must be starting to like you" said Zack.

Celeste just smiled, Bill's concern and kiss had already proven that to be true.

"Are you just here to say goodnight?" asked Celeste. "I don't want to take away from your sleeping time."

"Yeah, just saying goodnight" said Zack nodding to Nick.

"But, we thought we'd stay here until you fell asleep, just in case you needed anything" said Nick with a wink.

"But I'm not even tired" said Celeste.

"Oh, maybe we could give you a massage or tell you a story" suggested Zack. "Something to help you relax."

"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep, it's like 11 am or something" said Celeste.

"Sounds like we have our work cut out for us" said Nick.

"Nicholas, I totally agree" said Zack.

"Now young lady, the first thing you need to do is put away your toys" said Nick, collecting the cards into a pile and putting them on the dresser.

"Next, you need to get under the blankets" said Zack, pulling the comforter back and getting in first before motioning for Celeste to get in.

"Good, now just lay down" said Nick, sliding into the bed on the other side.

"All that's left is to turn off the light" said Zack, reaching behind his head to turn off the light switch.

Celeste laid quietly for a moment before starting to squirm.

"It's hot in here" she said. "And I'm not tired."

"Well we can fix that" said Nick.

His head disappeared under the blanket and Celeste started squirming as he moved down her body to remove her socks.

"How's that?" he said brandishing his spoils.

"Better" said Celeste, but I'm still a little hot and not tired at all.

"Well, there's only one more thing for you to take off to cool you off" said Zack, fingering the hem of her sweatshirt.

Celeste acquiesced and lifted her arms. Zack slipped off the sweatshirt and threw it on the floor. Celeste laid back relishing the cool air on her overheated skin.

The first hand on her was Nick's, it skirted over her stomach before slowly inching up until it cupped her breast. Zack turned and captured Celeste's lips in a brief but searing kiss before dropping a kiss on her neck, her collar bone then her breast bone until he finally reached her breast. He kissed the hilly flesh before settling himself on the nipple. The moment his hot mouth enclosed her crinkled flesh her back arched off the bed. Nick buried his head in Celeste's neck, kissing her pulse point before moving up to the shell of her ear.

"If you want us to stop, just say stop" he said before using his tongue to trace the shell of her ear.

Celeste didn't think she could form a syllable much less a word, but it was a moot point because she never wanted the sensations to stop. When Nick didn't hear a protest he slid his fingers down her body, and into the pink panties. His hand ghosted over her soft flesh, noticing with a smile that she had nothing in common with the cards she'd been playing with earlier. Sliding his fingers further down he easily found what he was looking for. One stroke of her clit with the pad of his finger tore a moan from Celeste's mouth. Zack, moved his mouth from her breast and quickly covered her mouth with his. He didn't want anyone on the boat to hear and decide to investigate.

Celeste didn't want to be a passive participant on what she could only say was the craziest thing she'd ever done in her life. Her hands reached down their respective sides searching for the waistbands that would lead her to her goal. Finding Zack's first she slipped her hand into his sweats, smirking when she found no underwear. Her cool hand wrapped easily around his hard cock. He moaned into her mouth causing her to smile. He pulled back for a moment to tell her not to stop before resuming their kiss. With a little more maneuvering she was able to get her hands into Nick's pants. He hissed into her neck the moment she touched him and then moved away. Disappointed she opened her eyes and moved to look at him.

"You'll get your chance" he said with a smirk.

Nick moved down her body dropping kissed along the way. He tore off the pink underwear and spread her legs. In the dim light of the room her skin looked like it was glowing. He dropped his mouth to the area just above her clit, kissing it deeply. Celeste wasn't a particularly patient girl, she never had been. Having Nick so close to where she wanted him was too much to wait for. Using her hand she reached down and pushed his head down until his lips touched her clit.

"Right there" she said.

Nick closed his mouth over her tiny button and sucked. Celeste's back arched off the bed and a moan threatened to escape her lips. Her hand moved over her mouth to stop the sound from escaping. Zack moved his hips in rhythm with Celeste's hand, but he wanted more. He'd moved on to her other breast and was sucking the nipple while squeezing the other.

Nick sucked and licked her clit until Celeste was writhing on the bed. Pushing her legs farther out he watched as her lips blossomed open. Her small pink hole just visible. Moving down slightly he moved his tongue in and out a few times before sliding a finger inside of her. He could feel her body tightened around his fingers and moved to take her clit back into his mouth. A few minutes later her body fluttered around his fingers and she muffled her climax with a pillow. Pulling out his now drenched fingers he looked up at her face, while he moved his fingers down. Running them over her puckered anus he gently massaged her. He watched her face for any sign for him to stop, when none materialized he slid one finger inside her. As if called by a siren's song Celeste's finger moved down to her own sensitive clit and plucked it as Nick added a second finger into her ass.

Zack had heard Celeste cum twice and was on the verge of cumming himself. Moving out of reach of her questing hand he kissed her again. Nick saw Zack's change in position and he moved aside to Zack could take his place between Celeste's thighs. Nick moved up an gave Celeste a kiss. She sucked his lips into her mouth, tasting herself on him. Slipping his sweats down his hips they puddled on the floor. Holding his dick in his hand he rubbed it gently over Celeste's hard nipples. Turning her head to the side Celeste invited Nick into her mouth. Her hot mouth closed over him and he felt his knees start to buckle. Grabbing the side of the bed, he focused on remaining upright. Celeste moaned around Nick's cock as Zack slid inside her. She was still tight from her previous orgasm and it felt as if he was scraping every inch of the inside of her walls.

"Oh, so good" grunted Zack as he picked up a rhythm.

Celeste's neck was hurting so she pulled her mouth off of Nick and disconnected with Zack. She rolled over onto her knees and backed up to where Zack was standing at the edge of the bed. Making room for Nick to kneel on the bed she resumed her blow job. Zack felt Celeste's hand travel down to pluck at her clit, her fingers touching him as he plunged in and out of her.

"Oh, too close" said Nick, pulling himself out of her mouth. He laid down on his back and Celeste moved away from Zack and settled on top of Nick. He slipped into her surprised at how tight she was. Zack took a breath and stepped up onto the bed. Nick pulled Celeste so she was flush with his chest giving Zack enough room to get into position. Zack reached into Nick's sweats on the floor and pulled out a small bottle. He poured some on Celeste's upturned bottom.

"It's cold" she said.

Nick immediately captured her mouth keeping her mind off anything else that was about to happen. Zack spread more liquid on his hand and coated himself before lining his cock up with Celeste's puckered asshole. Leaning forward he pressed in. There was so much resistance that he felt like he was going to be pushed back out.

"Anytime Zack" said Nick, his voice strained.

Zack grunted in annoyance and pushed a little harder, the spongy head slipped through and the rest of his shaft was soon fully inside.

"Oh my God" moaned Celeste.

The trio found a rhythm that was building towards something wonderful. Celeste ground her clit against Nick's pubic bone, hoping to get one more orgasm. It hit her with unexpected force and before she knew it she'd bitten Nick on the shoulder. It was enough to send him over the edge which triggered Zack. They rolled onto their sides, all three panting. Celeste settled her head on Nick's thundering chest and started to close her eyes. She had no idea how much time had passed or what made her think that doing this was a good idea. But at the moment she was sated, happy and very tired.


	7. Chapter 7

Celeste moved slightly in her sleep, the rough comforter rubbing over her sensitive nipples. She loved being naked and for a moment she luxuriated in the sensations before rolling over. She moved into the center of the bed and spread out, wondering where the boys were. Unlike the stateroom that Nick and Zack shared this one was slightly larger and much warmer. Kicking off the blankets, she hoped the door was closed.

Bill stood in the doorway watching the naked girl writhe in his bed. The whole room smelled like sex and he didn't know what made him angrier. The fact that someone had sex in his bed or the fact that it wasn't him. He watched Celeste kick off the blanket revealing the rest of her body. She was laying on her stomach, the soft globes of her ass on display. His scowl deepened. Who the hell did this girl think she was, coming onto his boat, having sex in his room, sleeping naked in his bed. Her arms stretched above her head and she pushed her butt into the air while arching her back. Bill caught a glimpse of her folds before she settled back down onto the bed. Watching for a few more minutes he realized she had fallen back asleep.

Celeste stretched and opened her eyes. Gazing around the room it was clear by the total darkness that it was night. Rolling over she sat up gingerly and checked out her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was a small personal bathroom. She walked over and decided to use the facilities. It was tiny but incredibly clean. Realizing there was a shower in the tiny bathroom she quickly flipped on the water and hopped in. The water was freezing and her teeth were chattering as she washed her hair with real shampoo and conditioner. She was almost finished by the time the water warmed up, so she luxuriated in the warmth for a moment more then turned off the tap. Realizing there wasn't a towel she quickly found Zack's sweatshirt and used it to dry herself off as best she could with her limited resources. Draping the now soaked sweatshirt over the nozzle in the shower she searched the room for something she could wear. She located a stash of clean clothes in a dresser and picked out a plaid flannel shirt. Slipping it over her shoulders she was pleased it was warm and soft. Next she pulled on a pair of socks before finding her underwear and sliding them on. As dressed as she was going to get, she shrugged her shoulders and headed to the wheelhouse.

Bill was watching the deck like a hawk. The crab in the string had dropped off dramatically in the last few pots and he was looking for a reason why. Noticing one of the doors not tied closed he grabbed the hailer to tell the guys to stop fucking up. The rant died on his lips when the scent of his shampoo wafted into the room. The soft pad of sock clad feet walked behind him and sat down on the bench. If she thought she was being sneaky she was sadly mistaken.

"Double check the doors" said Bill to the crew, before turning to face Celeste.

She was studiously looking out the side windows trying to figure out what time of day it was. Bill took a moment to look at her new outfit. Gone was the bulky sweatshirt and in it's place was one of his plaid shirts.

"Where did you get that shirt?" he asked casually.

"Um, out of your drawer" said Celeste. "I used the sweatshirt to dry off and I didn't want to walk around the boat naked, so I borrowed it. I can go put my dress on if you want."

"Why were you wet?" asked Bill.

"I" hesitated Celeste. "I took a shower in your shower."

"Why?" asked Bill.

"Because you had real shampoo and conditioner" said Celeste.

"Oh, right" said Bill. "Not because of your activities?"

He let the statement hang in the air while studying Celeste for the tell tale signs of remorse. Celeste returned his stare and then shrugged her shoulders.

"It's just sex" she said airily. "I'm sure I'm not the first person to have sex in that bed."

Bill opened his mouth to retort before snapping it shut when Celeste raised her eyebrow. Turning his attention back to the deck he ignored the girl sitting behind him. After a few pots Celeste wandered to the front window and leaned over to watch the guys on the deck. Pulling herself up a little she watched the guys running back and forth. She watched Zack throw the hook and Nick helping to sort the crab, the other two guys she didn't know but everyone seemed to be working hard. Moving back to her seat on the bench she snagged a pencil from a cup. Bill watched her from the corner of his eye, wondering what the hell she was going to do with a pencil.

"Do you need a piece of paper?" he asked.

"No, why?" asked Celeste.

"Because you just picked up a pencil" said Bill. "What are you going to do with it, stab yourself in the eye?"

"I'm just going to detangle my hair" said Celeste. "I don't have a brush, so this is the next best thing.

Bill looked over his shoulder and saw Celeste sitting cross legged on the bench running a pencil through her hair.

"We have brushes on this boat" said Bill.

"This is fine" said Celeste.

"Whatever" said Bill, turning back to the window.

Celeste shivered slightly and tried to get her legs farther under the shirt. The small window next to Bill was open and creating a chilly breeze for a girl underdressed for the cold Bearing Sea air. After the third time she shifted in her seat Bill spun around intending to tell her if she couldn't be quiet she'd have to go somewhere else. He saw her huddled form and chattering teeth.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

"Yes, very" said Celeste. "Can you close the window please?"

"No, I need the fresh air" said Bill. "It keeps me on my toes."

"Oh, ok" said Celeste, disappointment in her voice.

"You can come sit in my chair" said Bill.

"Where are you going to sit?" asked Celeste.

"I don't sit when we're pulling pots" said Bill. "Standing makes me focus."

He motioned to the chair, patting it with his hand.

"It's pretty comfortable and I can turn on the little heater here for you" said Bill.

"Ok" said Celeste.

She clambered into the chair, crossing her legs in an effort not to crowd Bill. He leaned over and turned on a small heater, aiming it to hit Celeste. The blast of warm air felt wonderful on her chilled body.

"You can put your legs down" said Bill. "Your feet are going to fall asleep if you keep them like that."

Celeste dropped her legs so they were hanging over the chair. She couldn't really see anything on deck with Bill's body in her way, so she contented herself with watching the computer screens. The bright lights and humming soon had her dozing.

Bill glanced at the number of pots left in the string and stretched his back. He needed to go to the bathroom but was hesitant to ask one of the guys to come up to take over. Who knew what sort of shenanigans they'd get up to with Celeste for the few minutes it would take him to pee. Finally deciding on a plan he turned around, startling Celeste out of her dream.

"Hey, I need you to stay here and drive the boat" said Bill.

"What?" said Celeste, clearly confused.

"Just sit here" said Bill, slightly slower. "And drive the boat."

"I can't" said Celeste. "I don't have a boat license."

"You don't need one" said Bill.

"Besides I can't reach the pedals" said Celeste.

Bill stood in shock for a moment and then just smiled.

"Very funny" he said. "I'll be back in a second."

"Seriously, you're way taller than me, my feet don't even hit the floor" said Celeste, wiggling her legs to prove her point.

"You can't possibly be serious about what you're saying" said Bill.

"Yes I can" said Celeste. "I'm too short to do it."

"There are no pedals on a boat" said Bill.

"Fine, whatever you call them, accelerators, go go buttons, whatever, I can't press something with my foot and sit in this chair" explained Celeste, like she was speaking to a child. "I. am. too. short."

"There are no pedals on a boat, nothing on the floor" said Bill. "The boat is on auto pilot, just sit in the chair so I can go to the fucking bathroom."

With that pronouncement he set the boat on course and walked out of the wheelhouse to hit the head.

Celeste watched his retreating form a look of horror spreading over her face. She stood up and realized she could barely see the deck through the window. Deciding this was a horrible idea she climbed back in the chair. Kneeling on the chair she leaned over until her hands rested between the silver throttle and the rudders. From this position she could see the guys on deck sorting the crab. Looking past the deck she saw nothing but black water.

"Twenty four" said a crackling voice from the deck. "Two Four."

Celeste stared down at the deck wondering what the hell she was suppose to do with that information. Looking around she saw a notebook with columns of numbers, the numbers were similar so she added the 24 onto the next blank line.

"Well, looks like you don't even need me up here" said Bill from behind her.

"Don't do that again" said Celeste, her voice tight with fear.

Bill spun the chair and looked into her face and frowned. Her eyes were edged with tears and she was shaking slightly.

"Hey, you're fine" said Bill soothingly. "The boat was fine, the guys were fine, I was gone like a minute."

Celeste shrunk into the back of the chair, looking like a terrified child. Bill's eyes softened. He gathered her into his arms and sat down in the chair. Turning it back to face the windows he pressed the throttle forward moving the boat to the next pot. Celeste clutched onto the front of Bill's shirt, willing herself not to cry. The over emotional response was ridiculous and she knew it, but couldn't seem to stop herself from shaking.

"So.." said Bill his voice rumbling in his chest. "You work with the fisheries and have never been on a boat."

"No" said Celeste into Bill's chest.

Her warm breath permeated Bill's shirt warming the skin underneath. Her body was cuddled against his chest, her legs sitting demurely over his lap.

"That seems like something you'd need to know" said Bill conversationally.

"Yes, well I know how much it costs to run a boat, repairs, fuel, food, crew salaries, and stuff like that" explained Celeste. "But knowing how to drive a boat isn't necessary."

"We should fix that" said Bill. "You should at least know the difference between a boat and a car."

"Boats drive on the water" suggested Celeste. "And apparently they don't have pedals."

"That's a good start" said Bill.

He turned Celeste in his arms, settling her on his lap facing the windows. Her legs fell over his spread thighs in order to keep herself from slipping off his lap. He pulled her back a little so he could see over her head. Realizing what he wanted she moved her head slightly, giving him a beautiful view of the slope of her neck.

"This is the throttle" he said, placing his hand on top of the silver handles. "This would be the go go button you spoke of earlier."

"Why is it so big?" asked Celeste.

"It doesn't have to be" said Bill. "But I like it that way."

Celeste turned to look up at Bill's face, to see if he was kidding. But before she could really tell he moved on with her next lesson. He explained the rudder system, the plotter and gps system. Then he moved onto explaining the deck.

"Ok, you try" said Bill.

Widening her legs to ensure she stayed in his lap, Celeste tentatively moved her hand to the throttle. Bill placed his hand over hers and pressed the throttle forward.

"Fast, but not too fast" said Bill, his hand covering hers. "Ok, so put your other hand on the rudder."

Celeste moved her hand to the small black knob. Bill's hand covered hers again, moving the button slightly towards port.

"That's it" said Bill encouragingly.

"I'm driving a boat" said Celeste, her voice full of glee.

She bounced up and down happily while pressing the throttle forward and back. Bill could feel every press and sway of her body. The movements were causing a reaction that he'd never had while hauling pots. The realization that all that was separating him from the sweet lips he'd seen that morning was a tiny scrap of pink fabric. He could easily move it to the side and slide his fingers into her. The thought was maddening and Bill abruptly stood up all but dumping Celeste to the floor.

"Did I do something wrong?" asked Celeste.

"No" said Bill. "I need to stand up, it's safer for the guys on deck."

"Oh, sure" said Celeste, not quite believing his answer.

"But you can still sit in the chair" offered Bill.

"Ok" said Celeste with a smile.

She climbed into the chair and stretched her legs, letting them brush against the outside of Bill's thighs.

"Look at that pot" said Bill, more to himself than anyone.

Celeste wrapped her legs around his hips and pulled herself onto his back to see over his shoulder. Her sock covered foot brushed his hard length and it was all Bill could do not to moan.

"How many are in there?" asked Celeste, her mouth right next to Bill's ear.

"Want to make a bet?" asked Bill.

"Sure" said Celeste. "I bet there are more than 25 in there."

"No, you have to pick a number" said Bill. "The person closest wins."

"Oh, then I pick 45" said Celeste.

"I say there are 40 keepers" said Bill.

The pair waited for the final tally to be announced. Nick walked into the middle of the deck and held up four fingers and then a closed fist. Bill whooped out loud.

"Wait, did you win?" asked Celeste.

"Yep, he signed forty" said Bill smugly.

"No he didn't, he showed four and then a closed fist" said Celeste.

"The fist means zero" said Bill.

"How do you know" said Celeste.

"Um, this is my job" said Bill. "I've been doing it for as long as you've been alive."

"Fine" said Celeste, sitting back in the chair.

"Now, we have to decide what I win" said Bill, stroking his chin.

"How exciting for you" grumbled Celeste.

"Don't be a sore loser" said Bill. "You could win on the next pot."

"Not if you're going to cheat" said Celeste.

"I didn't cheat" said Bill.

Celeste just turned her head.

"Fine, I'll prove it to you" said Bill, picking up the hailer. "Nicky, how many crab were in the last pot?"

"Forty" crackled Nick's voice. "Four Zero."

"Told you so" said Bill.

"Told you so, mimicked Celeste.

"Ok, sore loser, I want you to go downstairs and get me an ice cream bar" said Bill.

Celeste looked at him quizzically.

"I know you know where they are" said Bill.

"Can I have one too?" asked Celeste.

"No, but if you're good I'll share mine with you" said Bill with a smile.

Celeste sighed and got out of the chair. She flounced her way down the stairs to retrieve the coveted ice cream.


	8. Chapter 8

Celeste walked into the kitchen and started to dig through the freezer. Bill had moved his precious ice cream into the back and she had to move quite a few things before she could actually reach them. The sound of the heavy deck door opening and closing made her freeze. Moving double time she started to shove the other items she'd removed from the freezer back inside.

"Hey, getting a head start on breakfast?" asked Zack from behind her.

"Oh, it's you" said Celeste with a relieved smile.

"Yep, it's time for me to start making breakfast" said Zack.

Zack looked at the ice cream sitting on the table and frowned.

"Didn't we ask you not to eat those anymore" said Zack.

"It's not for me" said Celeste. "I lost the 'bet about how many crabs in a pot game' and I had to bring him one."

"It's probably not fair to play with him" said Zack. "He'll beat you every time."

Celeste just shrugged and continued to put things away in the freezer. Zack walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Celeste settled back into the warm embrace, loving the feel of his strong arms.

"Careful, I might be a little wet" said Zack.

Celeste giggled and said "me too".

Zack spun her around and captured her lips. Their mouths opened and their tongues danced back and forth. Zack's fingers deftly undid the top few buttons on Celeste's borrowed shirt. His hand snaked inside, easily finding a taught nipple. He squeezed gently and then a little harder, causing Celeste to moan into the kiss.

"You better not be eating one of my ice creams" said Bill, his voice floating down from the wheelhouse.

Zack and Celeste broke their kiss and stepped back, both breathless.

"I should get back before the ice cream melts" said Celeste, her voice full of regret.

"We can continue this later" said Zack, his voice full of promise.

Celeste smiled and then walked up the stairs to the wheelhouse. Zack watched her go before throwing together breakfast.

Bill smiled as Celeste appeared in the wheelhouse with his ice cream. His smile faltered slightly when he noticed the top two buttons on her shirt were open and her lips looked slightly bruised. His eyes slipped to the deck and he quickly counted the guys, realizing who was absent set his teeth on edge.

"Took you long enough" said Bill.

"Well, you hid them in the back of the freezer" explained Celeste. "I had to take out like fifty pounds of meat to get them."

"I was saving them from grabby hands" said Bill.

Celeste brought the ice cream to the chair and handed it to Bill. He motioned for her to sit down and she complied.

"Open it" said Bill.

Celeste did as she was told and again tried to hand it to Bill. Instead he took a bite out of it and then turned back to the deck.

"So I'm just suppose to hold it for you?" asked Celeste.

"Yes" said Bill. "And you can eat any that drips on your hands."

"How generous of you" said Celeste, rolling her eyes.

"I thought so" said Bill, blandly.

This had not been his original plan, he'd wanted to share the treat with Celeste. But her wanton appearance had not bought her any points in his book. Bill turned around again, leaning down and biting the side of the creamy treat. He took the opportunity to look down her gaping shirt. Her pink tipped nipples were hard and straining against the soft fabric of the shirt.

"Are you cold?" asked Bill, standing back up.

"Not really" said Celeste.

"It's dripping" said Bill, pointing to the stick.

Celeste tilted her head and licked the falling ice cream off the side of her finger. Her tongue twirling around the digit and back up to the stick. Bill watched with rapt attention, watching the movement. Celeste noticed the look Bill was giving her and smirked, boys or men they were all the same. She sat back in the chair and crossed her legs indian style. Bill's eyes dropped from her mouth to her legs and then back up. Celeste caught his eye and raised an eyebrow. Bill turned back to the deck with a huff.

"What is your boyfriend going to think of your little adventure?" asked Bill suddenly.

"I don't have a boyfriend" said Celeste.

"Come on" said Bill, clearly not believing her.

"Seriously, I'd make a terrible girlfriend" said Celeste. "I'm always traveling. I obviously have some unresolved issues with my parents death. I don't know how to cook. I don't clean. I can't imagine being very dateable."

Bill looked back at Celeste expecting to see sadness in her eyes. Instead he saw grim acceptance. Celeste offered him a bite of the ice cream, which he took never taking his eyes off her face.

"I don't think your situation is as bad as you think it is" said Bill, returning to the window. "Your job is like a crab fisherman, gone most of the year but you can still call or email."

"I guess" said Celeste, unconvinced.

"I have been married and have three kids" said Bill proudly.

"Are you married now?" asked Celeste.

"No" said Bill.

"Why not?" asked Celeste.

"For a few reasons" said Bill. "The biggest that I wasn't home enough."

Celeste gave him a pointed look, which Bill responded to by turning back to the deck.

A few minutes later Bill turned around to get another bite just in time to see Celeste licking the dripping chocolate off her arm. She'd obviously failed to pay attention to how much it was melting and was now basically trying her best not to let it drip on the shirt. Bill took a bite of the treat at the same time and caused a catastrophic collapse. Celeste was able to catch the majority of the treat in the palm of her hand and offered it to Bill.

"Quick, eat it before it gets everywhere" she said, moving her hand to his mouth.

Bill complied eating the ice cream out of her hand, his teeth scraping across her palm. Celeste's eyes closed at the sensation, her breath hitching in her chest. Bill ran his tongue in between each of her fingers, cleaning the stickiness from them.

"Wow" murmured Celeste.

Bill smiled smugly before turning again to see the guys on deck.

Celeste suddenly felt slightly out of control. Zack's kiss plus the teeth on her palm had amped up her sex drive exponentially. As Bill turned back Celeste took her place in the chair. Once she realized that he was focused on the deck in front of him her hand drifted down into her panties. Her fingers danced along her clit. Her goal was to just take the edge off of her arousal before Bill even noticed her movements. What she hadn't counted on was the end of the string.

"Ok, that was the last pot" announced Bill over the hailer.

He turned around to find Celeste with her hand buried in her panties and her eyes closed. Before he could ask her what she was doing she orgasmed. Her eyes fluttered and then her hand slowed in her pants, while her chest rose and fell.

"What are you doing?" asked Bill.

"Agh" yelped Celeste.

"In my chair!" yelled Bill.

Celeste tried very hard not to open her eyes. The realization of what she'd done and who had found her was horrifying.

"Are you some sort of nympho?" said Bill.

"No!" said Celeste, her eyes snapping open.

"Then explain what just happened" said Bill.

"It's well, and then" Celeste started and stopped her explanation about five times before taking a moment to collect herself.

"So, you know when you haven't had something for a long time and then you have some and it makes you crave it" began Celeste. "That's sort of how I am with sex. I don't have it often and then when I do, it's like I can't stop wanting it."

Bill didn't know what to say. Basically his son and Nick had set off a chain of events that no one but the girl in front of him had control over. Celeste removed her hands from her panties. Bill watched the digits hover over the arm of his chair. Celeste saw him watching her and decided wiping the fluid on anything would just anger him more. Instead she shoved the fingers in her mouth, quickly sucking them clean.s

"What are you trying to do to me?" asked Bill, his voice husky.

"I don't want you to be mad" said Celeste.

The commotion on the stairs startled both Celeste and Bill.

Nick and Zack barged into the wheelhouse. The meal had just been set on the table and both were eager to take over Bill's position in order to spend some quality time with Celeste.

"Breakfast is ready" they chorused.

"Great" said Bill, turning to face the pair. "Why aren't you eating?"

"Because we knew you'd be hungry" said Zack, advancing on the Captain's chair.

"But if you want to eat with your son, I'll be happy to take over" said Nick.

"I'm starving" said Celeste, trying to break the tension between herself and Bill.

"We'll bring you something" said Bill, hauling the two guys with him towards the stairs.

"You can't leave me up here" said Celeste. "You promised."

"Fine, Nick you can stay with her" said Bill. "I'm going to be gone like five minutes, don't do anything."

Nick shrugged innocently and Celeste looked down at her hands. After Bill and Zack left Nick turned to Celeste.

"What was all that about?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing" said Celeste.

"How was spending hours in a wheelhouse with Bill?" asked Nick.

"Interesting, mortifying, terrifying" said Celeste. "Do you want to sit?"

"Only if you sit with me" said Nick.

Celeste nodded and got out of the chair. Once Nick was situated she climbed into his lap. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I like your new shirt" he said, snaking his fingers through the opened buttons.

"Thanks" said Celeste, reveling in the contact.

Nick kissed her neck while Celeste ground herself on his burgeoning erection.

"We should stop" said Celeste, making no move to actually do so. "He's going to be so mad."

"Do you want to stop?" asked Nick, tweaking one of Celeste's nipples.

"No" said Celeste.

Nick turned Celeste in his lap so she was facing him. Her feet slipped through the arms of the chair. Nick caught her lips in a searing kiss while she ground herself against him. Nick's hands slipped to the front of her shirt, quickly undoing the buttons until her breasts were bared. His head dipped down and he took a pink nipple in his mouth, sucking it gently. Celeste's head dropped back and she stifled a moan. Nick reached down and pushed her panties aside, exposing her heated flesh. His fingers slipped forward and found her wet and ready. Celeste sat up and Nick pulled his sweats down enough to free himself. Reaching her hand down Celeste guided him inside of her.

"You are so wet" said Nick into the side of her neck. "How are you so wet?"

"I was masterbating" said Celeste breathlessly.

"Where?" asked Nick, moving her up and down.

"Here" said Celeste, using her internal muscles to squeeze Nick.

"Oh, God" said Nick. "That feels so good. Tell me more."

"In this chair" said Celeste. "Right before you came up here."

"Bill was here" said Nick.

"I know, but he wasn't paying attention" said Celeste.

"Oh my God, you are such a naughty girl" said Nick.

He slapped her ass and Celeste groaned and moved faster. Nick pummeled her from underneath as Celeste used the little traction she had to move herself up and down. Reaching between her legs Celeste stroked her clit, triggering her orgasm. Nick felt her walls fluttering and followed her over the edge. The sounds of footsteps on the stairs startled the couple in the captain's chair. Celeste was barely able to untangle her legs and scramble off of Nick's lap before Bill and Zack entered the room.

Zack was holding a plate and a glass of juice.

"We brought you something to eat" said Zack.

"Great" said Celeste. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back."

With that announcement she walked out of the room. Bill watched her go and then looked back at Nick, who was still sitting in his chair. Nick's face was flushed and he looked suspiciously pleased.

"Nicky, if you're hot you can turn off the heater" said Bill.

"No, I'm fine" said Nick, casually.

"You look a little flushed, are you getting sick" said Bill, walking towards his chair.

"Nope, totally fine" said Nick. "In fact, I'm starving. I'm going to grab something to eat before it's all gone."

Getting out of the chair he glanced down at the seat and was relieved to see there wasn't a wet spot.

"Before you go, I need to have a little chat with you and Zack" said Bill seriously.

"Ok" said Nick, looking at Zack to get a hint of what was going on.

Zack just shrugged in response.

"I don't know what you guys got up to in my room yesterday and I don't want to know" said Bill. "But, don't let it happen again."

Zack and Nick nodded, both trying to look serious.

"She's trouble" continued Bill. "And you're both setting yourselves up to fail. I suggest you stay away from her."

"Stay away from her?" asked Zack, in shock.

"Where are we going to go?" said Nick. "We're all on a boat together."

"Figure it out" said Bill.

"It's impossible" said Zack. "Besides, she's our friend. We like spending time with her."

"You like fucking her" said Bill, his voice low and angry. "And I don't need that on this boat in the middle of a season."

Zack and Nick both stepped back slightly as Bill advanced.

"You think she's some little innocent you found at a bar but you are wrong" said Bill. "If we didn't have a quota to catch and a deadline to make I would turn this boat towards Dutch in a heartbeat."

Zack and Nick both nodded and returned to the galley.


	9. Chapter 9

Celeste sat on Bill's bed, reading a copy of Moby Dick she'd found between the dresser and the wall. She'd decided to stay in the room when she saw the murderous look Bill gave her as she passed him in the wheelhouse. She'd been in there for almost two hours when Bill arrived in the bedroom holding a plate of food. Celeste looked up from her book and smiled warily.

"Where did you find that?" asked Bill, gesturing to the book.

"Over there" said Celeste, pointing to the dresser. "It probably fell off the back of the or something."

"This is for you" said Bill, handing Celeste the plate.

"Thank you" she said politely.

"Are you really going to read that?" asked Bill.

"Sure" said Celeste. "It beats reading old issues of Playboy and Maxim."

"You do know how it ends, right" asked Bill.

"They catch the whale?" suggested Celeste.

"Not exactly" said Bill.

"Well I guess I'll find out" said Celeste.

"Ok, just remember we are not fishing whales out here" said Bill.

"No problem" said Celeste.

Celeste set the book down to eat the proffered food.

Turning back to the book she began to read again. Bill slipped into the bathroom and returned wearing crab pajama pants and a white t-shirt. Turning down the side of the bed he got in, tucking the comforter around his hips. Celeste gazed over her shoulder and started to get out of bed.

"Stay" he said. "Read to me."

"Ok" said Celeste. "Do you want me to start from the beginning?"

"No, just from where you are now" said Bill.

Celeste began reading and soon the rise and fall of her voice lulled Bill into sleep. Immersed in the plot of the book, Celeste read until she too drifted off to sleep, the book slipping from her grip and landing softly on the floor.

Zack glanced at Nick's sleeping form for the third time in the past few minutes. Confident that he was asleep, Zack dropped soundlessly to the floor and quietly slipped out of the room. He grabbed a sweatshirt out of the dryer and headed up to his father's stateroom.

Cracking open the door he carefully shielded the light from shinning onto the bed's occupants. He realized with a sigh that Celeste was also asleep. But undeterred he crept into the room and rubbed the back of his hand against her cheek. Her eyes fluttered slightly and she smiled in her sleep. Leaning down he kissed her mouth softly. Her lips turned up into a smile before she opened her eyes. Zack placed his finger to his lips, encouraging her to be silent. Celeste nodded and slowly got out of bed. Pulling her behind him Zack maneuvered her out the door and down the stairs.

"Where are we going?" asked Celeste.

"I thought maybe you'd like to see a little more of the boat" said Zack.

"Ok" said Celeste warily.

"Here, put this on" said Zack, handing her the sweatshirt.

"Ooo, it's warm" said Celeste with a smile.

"Fresh from the dryer" said Zack, "I figure a little extra warmth will get you across the deck without freezing."

"We're going outside?" said Celeste in surprise. "That's wonderful."

"Well, don't thank me yet" said Zack.

He opened the large metal door and the pair emerged into bright sunlight. Celeste tilted her head up to the sky, soaking in the sun's rays. Zack moved her quickly across the deck, doing his best to keep her out of the sightline of whoever was currently on wheel watch. It was flat calm and the boat cut through the water easily.

"See that overhang and the door" said Zack, pointing across the deck. "That is where we are going."

Celeste nodded and followed Zack as he carefully walked across the deck. She only slipped once before reaching the small room inside the bow. Zack turned her in his arms and leaned in for a kiss. Celeste moved forwards sealing their lips together. Zack did his best to close the door to the deck, eventually using Celeste as leverage to slam it shut. Once inside he turned on a small heater and then moved her to a camp chair.

"This is where we sit and stay out of the weather" said Zack, sweeping his arm in a circle.

"It's tiny" said Celeste.

"Yep" said Zack, advancing to where Celeste was sitting.

"My socks are wet" she said, stripping them off her feet.

Zack, set them in front of the heater before picking Celeste up and then sitting back into the chair.

"So, how have you been liking the boat" he said, settling Celeste on his lap.

"I've learned that boats don't have pedals" said Celeste.

"You're kidding right" said Zack, his voice full of disbelief.

"Nope" said Celeste. "I had no idea and your dad was kind enough to tell me I'm an idiot and eventually showed me how to drive a boat."

"He let you drive the boat?" asked Zack.

"Yes, well sort of. He still had his hands on mine" said Celeste.

"Wow, well the good news is my dad doesn't hate you" said Zack.

"Maybe, but I'm certainly not on his Christmas card list either" said Celeste.

Zack just smiled and turned Celeste in his arms, capturing her lips. She smiled into the kiss and threaded her fingers through Zack's hair. Scraping her nails across his scalp made Zack moan.

"I wanted to ask you something about the other night" said Zack, pulling back slightly.

"What about it?" asked Celeste.

Zack looked around, trying to find the words. Celeste just looked at him quizzically before sighing.

"I've never done that before" she volunteered. "Is that what you wanted to know?"

"Kind of" said Zack.

"Here's the deal, I love sex and on the rare occasion that I actually get to have it I want it in all forms" explained Celeste.

"When is the last time you had sex?" asked Zack.

"Before this trip" said Celeste, thinking. "Almost two years."

"Two years?" said Zack, his eyes widening in surprise.

"Yep" said Celeste. "Like I told your dad, I'm not good girlfriend material so I don't have sex very often."

"Ahh" said Zack. "Why was my dad asking you about a boyfriend?"

"He was trying to make me feel bad about having sex in his room" said Celeste simply. "But it didn't work. I try to live my life without too many regrets."

"I for one don't regret that night at all" said Zack. "Although I wouldn't mind having you all to myself."

"Is that why you snuck me out of your dad's room and brought me here?" asked Celeste with a smile.

"Maybe" said Zack.

"Well we should make it worth your while" said Celeste with a saucy smile.

Zack smiled and Celeste maneuvered herself out of the chair. Kneeling down on the wet floor, she pulled his sweats and boxers down. Her mouth enveloped him and Zack tipped his head back a moan ripped from his throat. Dropping his hand to her head he fisted it gently in her blond curls. Tangling his fingers in her hair he slowly moved her head back and forth. Celeste gave up trying to control the pace and let Zack take his pleasure from her. He was close, he could feel his balls tightening and just as he was about to cum a small wave tipped the boat dislodging him from Celeste's mouth. Cum splashed onto the deck boards as Celeste slid backwards.

"Well, that is not how I wanted that to end" said Zack with a frown.

Celeste stood and helped Zack to his feet.

"I guess the weather is coming up, we should get you back inside" said Zack.

Celeste grabbed her socks and followed Zack across the deck and back inside the warmth of the house.

Sliding into the ready room Celeste noticed the washer and dryer. Balling up her socks she reached under the sweatshirt and removed her underwear. Cocking her head to the side she asked Zack her silent question. He finally nodded and took the bundled clothes from her hand. She slipped the sweatshirt over her head and added it to the pile. Zack pulled her close and gave her a kiss.

"You better get back" he whispered.

"Ok, thanks for taking me outside" said Celeste, quietly. "It was wonderful to feel the sun on my face."

"We'll try to do it again soon" said Zack.

Celeste just nodded, standing on tip toe to give Zack a gentle kiss on the cheek. She disappeared down the hallway and up towards Bill's stateroom.

Celeste slipped quietly back into Bill's room, trying not to wake the still sleeping captain. Getting back into bed she struggled to dislodge the blanket from Bill's grasp. Once she managed to pull back the blanket she got in the bed. She'd barely closed her eyes when rough whiskers caressed the shell of her ear.

"Where were you?" asked Bill, his voice sleep roughened.

"No where" replied Celeste.

"Then why are you so cold?" asked Bill, his nose softly poking the back of her ear.

"I don't know" said Celeste, trying to calm her pounding heart.

Bill's hand slipped down to her legs and noticed her socks were missing. His hand traveled up her legs, feeling the goose bumped flesh when he reached the tail of his shirt he stalled slightly before continuing. Celeste was holding her breath, Bill was going to discover her lack of panties in less than an inch.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" he asked.

"I was putting my underwear in the washing machine" said Celeste.

"Hmm" said Bill, his hand moving further up her leg. "Is that all you were doing?"

"I got a snack from the kitchen" said Celeste.

"Anything else?" asked Bill, his hand now hovering just to the side of her femininity.

Celeste shook her head.

"I don't believe you" said Bill, his hand moving up to her stomach. "I think you and someone were somewhere on my boat doing something that you shouldn't be doing?"

"That didn't make any sense" said Celeste.

"You need to be punished" said Bill.

"Punished?" gasped Celeste.

"Or you could tell me where you were, what you were doing and who you were doing it with and they will get punished" said Bill. "It's your choice."

Celeste's mind swirled in mild panic, but ultimately she knew she needed to protect the boys who'd been her unlikely protectors.

"I'll take the punishment" said Celeste morosely.

Bill was surprised, he had assumed the girl would give up whoever she'd been with in order to escape his wrath. Now he just had to think of a punishment.

"What is my punishment going to be?" asked Celeste warily.

Bill had been silent for over a minute after she'd accepted her fate and the anticipation was driving her crazy.

"Impatient?" asked Bill.

"No, just curious" said Celeste.

"That is a dangerous thing to be on a crab boat" said Bill with a smirk. "You know what it did to the cat."

"Do you have cats on the boat?" asked Celeste, her face awash with confusion.

"That is not what I meant and you know it" said Bill.

Celeste just shrugged and snuggled down farther into the bed, before picking up the book she'd dropped earlier. Bill watched her nonchalance at the impending punishment with detached amusement. To say this girl had guts was an understatement. Celeste turned onto her side, facing away from Bill, causing the blanket to slip down. He caught a glimpse of her uncovered ass and an idea bloomed in his mind.

"Alright young lady" began Bill. "I've decided on your punishment."

Celeste set down the book and turned towards Bill, her face full of expectation.

"Well" said Celeste, after a moment.

"I'm going to spank you" said Bill, simply. "One swat for each minute you were gone."

Celeste did some quick calculation in her head and realized she had no idea how long she'd been gone and in the same moment realized that neither did Bill. Banking on that knowledge she plastered her best contrite look on her face.

"So, you'll spank me ten times" she said sadly.

Bill didn't know whether to yell or laugh, the look on her face was so completely phony and her suggestion that she'd only been gone for ten minutes was ludicrous. Deciding he could make ten work he nodded. Bill scooted to the middle of the bed and repositioned Celeste over his lap, her head hanging off the side of the bed.

Bill surveyed the girl draped over his lap. Her alabaster skin was smooth, her legs slightly muscular and her butt clenched in what he could only assume was an effort to keep the spanking from hurting too much. Smirking to himself he moved the borrowed shirt up until it was bunched on the outside of his thigh, revealing her legs, bottom and a large swath of her back. Celeste moved her head up from it's position to see what Bill was doing.

"No, no" said Bill, pushing her head back down.

"The view here is lacking" said Celeste.

"Well, I can't say the same thing from where I am, but remember you are being punished" said Bill.

"I've never had anyone spank me" said Celeste, her voice full of worry.

"Really?" said Bill. "Not even a parent."

"No" said Celeste. "No one."

Bill smiled.

"Don't forget to count" he said.

Bill rubbed her bottom gently before raising his hand to deliver the first blow. It connected with her skin and Celeste yelped, but managed to say "one".

"That hurt" said Celeste.

"That is the point, it's a punishment" said Bill.

Celeste gritted her teeth and managed to count up to seven before she broke into a sob and missed number eight. Bill felt her body convulsing in sobs and decided she'd had enough. Giving the last three spanks as gently as possible he began to rub her bottom soothingly. Celeste's sobs slowed to the occasional sniffle until she eventually quieted. Bill pulled her slightly and Celeste moved back and settled her head on the edge of the bed. Bill reached over her, pulling open a drawer next to the bed and pulling out a bottle. He spread the lotion over her bottom and began to rub.

"I didn't like that" said Celeste, sadly.

"Well you weren't suppose to" said Bill, rubbing her abused skin. "It was a punishment."

"I don't like being punished" said Celeste, quietly.

"Well, lets hope you can behave yourself for the next few days" said Bill.

His hands slipped in between her legs, rubbing her inner thighs. Celeste opened her legs in invitation. Bill hesitated for a moment before rubbing his fingers on the outside of her lips. He easily found her clit and slowly stroked it. Celeste buried her head in the side of the bed, moaning into the sheet. Bill smiled and continued his ministrations, pulling her body close to climax. He could feel her getting close and when he knew she was just at the edge he pulled his hands back. Celeste's head snapped up and she looked at him.

"Why did you stop?" she asked.

Bill just smiled and shrugged. Celeste frowned then flipped over onto her back, she lowered her hand to her clit and was about to touch it when Bill grabbed her hands, preventing her from touching herself.

"What are you doing" asked Celeste.

"I'll do it" said Bill, his hands resuming their position.

Celeste's legs fell open and she unbuttoned the shirt, baring her breasts so she could pluck at her nipples. Bill watched her as she writhed towards orgasm. When she was once again on the edge of climax he stopped.

"Don't stop" said Celeste, her voice taking on a desperate air.

Bill looked at Celeste's flushed face, her finger pinching her nipples hard.

"You're going to hurt yourself" said Bill, prying her fingers away from her breasts.

"It feels good" said Celeste, trying to move her hands down her body.

Bill effectively blocked her hands, grabbing them and holding them. Celeste looked at her hands and then into Bill's eyes.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked.

"I'm helping you learn a lesson" said Bill.

"A lesson?" asked Celeste. "You already spanked me."

"That was a punishment" explained Bill. "This is a lesson."

"A lesson in what" said Celeste, trying to pry her hands away from Bill.

"A lesson in delayed gratification" said Bill.

Celeste looked into Bill's eyes again and nodded slightly. She moved her hands to her sides and laid back, completely docile.

Bill smiled at her acquiescence. He moved his hands back to the crux of her thighs, finding her clitoris. Stroking it gently he moved his other hand to her breasts, plucking her nipple gently. After a moment he replaced the hand at her breast with his mouth. His beard scraped the skin as he took a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. Celeste's back arched off the bed as a moan escaped her lips. Bill immediately stopped what he was doing.

"If you can't be quiet, then I'm going to have to stop" he said plainly.

"I can be quiet" said Celeste, breathlessly. "Please don't stop."

Bill resumed his ministrations and soon Celeste was vibrating with the early signs of climax. Bill slid two fingers into her, surprised at how tight she was. As his fingers began to move back and forth, her body spasmed around them. Celeste held her breath through her orgasm. Bill watched her with rapt attention, as her cheeks turned from pink to red.

"Take a breath" he said.

Celeste immediately released the breath she was holding and started to giggle. She covered her mouth but the sound of her laughter escaped anyway. Bill just looked at her, a mask of confusion on his face. After a moment Celeste pulled her hand away.

"I've never had to wait" she said. "That was so intense."

"You could probably use a few more lessons in self control" said Bill.

"If they are all going to end like that, I wouldn't mind at all" said Celeste.


	10. Chapter 10

Celeste moaned quietly as she rolled over, entangling her leg between Bill's. Her head fell onto his chest and her hand grasped his shirt gently. The whole maneuver woke Bill out of a sound sleep. His hand went to grab the offending person, but instead it became tangled in blond curls, swearing slightly he tried to get his fingers out of Celeste's hair without hurting her. Celeste snuggled in closer, her leg moving up and down slightly, while her hand dipped under the hem of his shirt, flitting along his sleep warmed skin. Bill focused on untangling Celeste's hair. He slowly worked his fingers through her curls, taking care not to pull too hard. He'd been in a state of agitation since he'd touched her earlier, after he'd watched her cum she'd smiled expectantly but he'd just tucked her back under the blanket and settled in beside her. Now she was rubbing up against him and he felt his control slipping. One stubborn curl refused to untangle and Bill pulled it a little too hard, earning a grimace from Celeste and causing her to roll away from him. Pulling her body onto her side, she stretched and moved back, settling herself against Bill's turned body. His control slipped and he ran his hand up the back of her leg, as he approached the apex of her thigh she moved her leg forward, delivering Bill's hand right where she wanted it. He could feel the soft skin of her lips. His questing fingers easily found her clitoris and stroked it gently. It had been enough to get her off before, but now Bill wanted more. Sliding down his pajama pants he kicked them off. Feeling the movement behind her Celeste lifted one of her legs, inviting Bill better access to her. Realizing her obvious invitation he moved forward surging into her with one hard thrust. Her tightness surprised him, he felt her body slowly open as he stretched her inner walls. He stopped, waiting for Celeste to show him she was ready. It took only a moment before she moved herself back against him, drawing him farther in. Taking the cue he began to move in and out of her slowly, relishing the feeling of her. His hand moved around to pluck at her nipples while his mouth went to her shoulder. His lips traced the curve of her neck with his tongue before moving to nip at her ear. Celeste moaned and moved her hand down to rub her clit. Bill could do this all day, the feel of her tight walls clutching him as he moved in and out, the smell of her hair, the softness of her body. But he had a crab boat to run and if he didn't hurry up someone was going to interrupt him. Moving her onto her knees he quickened his pace. Celeste's hand rubbed furiously at her clit as she braced herself against the wall behind the bed. Bill slapped away her hand and took her clit between his fingers and squeezed. The pressure against her delicate anatomy was too much for Celeste and she came so hard that Bill felt a rush of liquid bathe him, leaking around him onto the bed below. That was enough to push him over the edge, he roared out his climax and collapsed on top of Celeste.

A few hours later Celeste returned to the wheelhouse. Bill was seated in his chair looking through the window at a wall of gray. It was raining and foggy, his visibility was at ten percent. Cursing to himself he picked up the binoculars again and scanned the ocean for the buoy bags.

"Are you looking for the orange bags?" asked Celeste from the bench seat.

"Yes" said Bill angrily.

"They are off to the left" said Celeste.

"What?" said Bill, still scanning with the binoculars. "Where, specifically?

Celeste stepped forward and pointed out the window towards the port side at two orange blips just visible between the breaking waves.

"You see those things?" said Bill, in surprise.

"Yes" said Celeste.

"Ok, you have a new job today" said Bill. "You are going to sit over there and look for the buoys. Come get the binoculars."

"I don't need them, I can see fine without them" said Celeste, moving into the chair.

"Fine, but I need to know where they are as soon as you see them, I need time to get the boat positioned correctly" explained Bill.

"I'll do my best" said Celeste.

The fifty pot string was being pulled in deteriorating weather. The buoys were less than a mile apart and the moment Celeste spotted one she began to look for the next set. Bill carefully pulled the boat as close to the buoys as possible, while still working to keep the majority of the waves off the deck. The deck looked like it was on a teeter totter. Bill was on tenterhooks, the weather was coming down fast and he was sure they were in for a horrific storm. The weather reports said to expect it to blow fifty, but he was sure it was already blowing sixty and they hadn't even begun to see the driving rain that was in the forecast.

"Bill, it's on the star side" said Celeste.

"On the what side?" said Bill, with a chuckle.

"The star side" said Celeste, pointing out Bill's window.

"Starboard" said Bill. "This is the starboard side, that side is port."

"Fine, you better slow down or you are going to miss the pots on your starboard side" said Celeste, smugly.

"Shit" said Bill, throwing the boat into neutral.

The bags sat right on the side of the boat, Bill had narrowly missed driving pass them.

"You need to tell me earlier" said Bill.

"I did" said Celeste. "But I used the wrong word, so you were so busy correcting me that you missed them."

Bill opened his mouth to respond and then stopped. He just needed to get the crab in the tank and the pots back in the water. Arguing with Celeste wasn't going to help him do either of those things.

"The next set is even farther to the starboard side" said Celeste.

Even with the binoculars he couldn't see where it was.

"Come over here and point to where they are" said Bill. "I can't see them at all."

Celeste got up and walked over, climbing into the chair she kneeled up so she could look over his shoulder. She extended her arm over his shoulder and pointed her fingers at the buoys. Bill shifted his gaze and looked, it took a few moments before he saw the sliver of orange. Celeste moved to get down.

"Just stay here, you can do that every time I can't see them" said Bill.

"Ok" said Celeste, leaning over Bill's shoulder to scan the ocean for the next set of buoy bags.

The last of the string had been pulled and set back. The weather was pounding the boat with huge waves and sideways rain. The guys on deck were miserable and cold. They were fixing the deck, taking care to make sure everything was well secured against the pitching deck and soaking waves. Trying to be fast but not miss anything.

"Well, we're almost done" said Bill, checking his numbers. "Once more through the gear and we'll be ready to offload."

"How long until it's all done?" asked Celeste.

"Anxious to get off the boat?" asked Bill.

"Yes" said Celeste. "I can't wait to have more than one pair of underwear at my disposal, to take a bath, to wear my own clothes and I'm even sort of excited to go back to work."

Bill was about to respond when a huge wave roared by the wheelhouse windows. Celeste's eyes grew to the size of saucers and she shrunk back into the bench seat.

"What the hell was that?" she said, her voice tremulous.

"It was a wave" said Bill.

"It was taller than the boat" said Celeste.

"They often are" said Bill.

"That's insane" said Celeste. "What would happen if it had hit the boat? Would we sink?"

"If the wave hit from the side, it could roll the boat over and if it doesn't right itself then we could sink" explained Bill.

"Has that happened before?" asked Celeste.

"Not on this boat, but yes it has happened" said Bill.

"Wow" said Celeste.

Her gaze shifted to the ocean's growing waves and realized that this boat was just one big wave away from being another hollowed out hull on the bearing sea floor.

"I think I want to go back to the stateroom" said Celeste.

"Are you scared?" asked Bill.

"Are you not?" countered Celeste.

"This is just another day at the office" said Bill.

"I'm scared" said Celeste.

Bill gaged her sincerity for a moment and realized that she was genuinely worried.

"You can go back to my stateroom" said Bill, with a sigh. "And if you are scared you can take Zack or Nick with you. I'm sure they will keep your mind off the weather."

"I can just go to their room" said Celeste.

"Not necessary" said Bill.

Proving he was being sincere he picked up the hailer and called Nick to the wheelhouse.

Nick and Celeste quietly slipped into Bill's stateroom. Nick had been shocked to find out what Bill wanted him to do. Keep Celeste company in Bill's stateroom was an easy task and one that Nick was very happy to do. Once inside the room he gingerly closed the door and joined Celeste on the bed.

"Want to watch a movie?" asked Nick.

"Why don't you have a tv in your room?" asked Celeste.

"Because we're never in there long enough to actually use it" said Nick with a smirk.

"I'd love to watch a movie" said Celeste. "Do you think we could have some popcorn?"

"Are you hungry?" asked Nick.

"Yes" said Celeste.

"When is the last time you ate something?" asked Nick, his mind doing some mental calculations.

"I can't remember" said Celeste. "So basically at some point I was starving and now I'm not for some reason."

"I'll be right back" said Nick. "Pick a movie while I get you something to eat."

Celeste began flipping through Bill's movie collection. She'd gone through all of the choices twice before she finally decided on Tombstone. Feeding it into the DVD player she got the movie cued up and waited patiently for Nick to return.

Nick returned after a while with plates full of food and Zack in tow. The guys set down their mini feast on a towel that Celeste had laid on the floor of the stateroom. She sat down happily and started to eat. The moment the first morsel of food hit her tongue she became ravenous. Nick and Zack sat back and watched her eat.

"You can start the movie" said Celeste in between bites. "I picked Tombstone."

"I think we'd rather just watch you eat" said Zack.

Celeste smiled around a mouthful of pasta and winked at both of them. Zack and Nick smiled broadly and turned to start the movie. After the food was eaten Celeste and the boys settled into the bed to finish the movie. The long grind of the last string had taken it's toll on the boys and once in the soft bed with the lights off they drifted slowly to sleep. Celeste ran her fingers through their hair, wondering if they would remain friends after the boat docked in Dutch Harbor. While not a very good girlfriend, she felt she could be a good friend, especially to the two boys who'd rescued her. The movie ended and Celeste turned off the tv. She settled down between the boys and closed her eyes.

A few hours later Zack woke up to the feeling of Celeste rolling around. Her head rolled onto his chest and he found his fingers running through her hair. Celeste opened her eyes and glanced up to see Zack sleepily staring down at her. Smiling she slipped her hand around his waist scratching his skin. Her fingers moved farther under his shirt and she ran her nails over his chest, softly enough to chill him. Pulling her up Zack captured her lips while he maneuvered her so she was straddling his hips. Celeste smiled as Zack tugged at her shirt, taking the hint she pulled it over her head, leaving her in nothing but her pink underwear.

"I'm going to miss these" said Zack, slipping his finger into the waistband.

Tugging down the material Celeste moved her legs removing the underwear and tossing them on the floor. Settling back down she rubbed herself wantonly over Zack, grinding over his hard shaft.

"God, you are so hot" said Zack.

Celeste responded by reaching behind her and slipping Zack's hard cock inside. His head fell back against the pillow and she rocked her way towards orgasm. He watched her through slitted eyes, taking in each expression as they flitted across her face. Her lips parted as she reached down to pluck at her clit, her tongue coming out to wet her lips. Zack pulled her down for a kiss, their tongues tangling as she continued to move. Celeste's rhythm faltered and Zack knew she was getting close. Pressing his heels into the bed for traction he began to meet her thrusts. A few moments later they were both crashing into orgasm.

The boat phone rang and Zack managed to catch his breath before he answered. Bill told him they were an hour away from the next string and to make something for the crew to eat. Zack hung up the phone and gave Celeste a quick kiss before getting dressed. With a spring in his step, he left the room.

"Well, did you give Zack a nice wake up call this morning?" asked Nick, his head still buried under the pillow.

"I suppose I did" said Celeste, glancing down at him.

"Hmm" said Nick. "I'm feeling a little left out."

"Is that so" said Celeste, quirking an eyebrow.

"Yes, and if Zack is making breakfast then I only have a few minutes" said Nick, pulling her down.

Celeste moved down onto the bed and settled herself next to Nick. He leaned over and kissed her gently, before moving to her neck and eventually to her ear.

"I've kissed you and licked you and fucked you in almost every way possible" said Nick, his hot breath puffing against her ear. "Except for one."

Celeste smiled and rolled onto her stomach. She knew what he wanted and was happy to make it happen. Lifting her butt in the air, she presented it to Nick. He dipped his fingers into her still wet slit before starting to loosen her.

"Should I thank Zack later for the lubrication" said Nick with a saucy smile.

Celeste's giggles quickly turned into moans as Nick's fingers began to move in and out of her bottom.

"You are so fucking hot" said Nick.

He lined himself and slowly began to slip into her body. Celeste, tried her best to relax, willing her body to open up. Her fingers dipped down to rub her clit, while Nick rocked in and out of her. Once he was fully seated, he paused for a moment to let Celeste get use to the feeling. After a moment Nick began moving in earnest. Celeste dropped her face to the pillow, moaning her pleasure into the cotton fabric. Nick picked up the pace, frantically trying to finish before he was called for breakfast.


	11. Chapter 11

Bill checked his numbers again and smiled. One more string and the boat would be plugged and headed to town. The crew had been up for the past 30 hours going through the gear. They'd had nothing but cold cereal and sandwiches, on breaks between strings. Glancing at the girl seated on the bench seat behind him he smirked. Celeste had been studiously reading Moby Dick since she'd arrived in the wheelhouse the day before. From the look of it she was almost finished.

"So, you really don't know how to cook?" asked Bill, conversationally.

"I don't" said Celeste, her eyes never leaving the page.

"Are you sure?" asked Bill.

"Do you want me to do something?" asked Celeste.

"I think it would be nice if you cooked the guys a meal" said Bill.

"I don't know how to cook" said Celeste. "Also, I thought I wasn't suppose to be seen by anyone."

"Seriously, do you think you could make something edible for the guys on deck or not" said Bill.

"I have never cooked anything in my life, but if you have a cookbook, then I probably could follow the directions" said Celeste.

"That does not sound promising" said Bill, his mind churning. "Ok, come over here and steer the boat."

"What?" said Celeste.

"Come over here, sit in the chair and push the go go button" said Bill.

"What will you be doing?" asked Celeste.

"I'm going down to start dinner" said Bill. "If you are as bad as a cook as you say, it will be easier for you to drive the boat than make dinner."

Celeste weighed her options, which both sounded terrible. On the one hand, she could poison the crew with her nonexistent cooking skills or even worse start a fire, but on the other hand she could just kill them outright with her lack of boat driving skills.

"Come on" said Bill.

Celeste dragged herself to the chair and sat down. Bill gave her a review of the throttle and the rudder. He set the boat on autopilot and told her to pull back on the throttle when the buoys were on the bow. Celeste nodded in understanding and took her place in the big chair. She knelt on her knees and leaned over the console to keep an eye on the deck and the seas beyond.

Bill hurried to throw dinner in the oven. Finding a defrosted roast he quickly seasoned it, then diced some potatoes, he threw them and some carrots into an oven safe dish. Throwing it all in the oven he set the temperature and headed back upstairs. As he walked into the room he saw Celeste, deftly feathering the throttle as the boat approached a set of buoys. Realizing that they were too close to the boat she moved the rudder to adjust the boats course. Bill sat back for a moment and watched her maneuver the boat into position. She got the boat into an almost perfect spot before she pulled up on the throttle, slowing the boat as the buoys appeared. He was sure that no one on his boat could have driven more perfectly on their first try.

"Looks like you've got everything well in hand" said Bill, stepping behind Celeste.

"To be fair, I've basically watched you do it for the past week" said Celeste. "However, the go-go button seems to be having a hard time."

Bill scowled and then pushed the throttle forward. He could feel the boat struggle to speed up.

"When did this start?" asked Bill.

"Right after the first pot" said Celeste. "It just seems to take a minute to decide to speed up."

"That's not good" said Bill, more to himself than Celeste.

"The numbers are good" said Celeste. "The last pot had seventy in it."

"Good" said Bill. "At this rate, this last string should stuff the boat."

Celeste grinned and then pushed the throttle, making the boat lurch forward.

"But first we need to figure out why the boat is doing that" said Bill.

Reaching over Celeste he picked up the hailer, telling Zack to meet him in the engine room.

A few minutes later Bill and Zack appeared in the wheelhouse. Zack couldn't mask his shock at Celeste driving the boat. He watched her pull up on the throttle as the boat neared the buoy bags. She looked like she'd been doing it all her life. Celeste smiled over her shoulder for a moment before turning back to the windows.

"What's the deal?" asked Zack.

"Nothing" said Bill. "She doesn't cook, so I went down to start dinner for you guys and she drove the boat."

"I don't know what is more unbelievable" said Zack. "You making dinner or letting a girl with no experience drive the boat."

"Shut up" said Bill. "And find out why this boat is having trouble keeping speed."

Zack nodded and disappeared into the engine room. Bill moved over to where Celeste was and she immediately relinquished his chair. Bill settled into his spot and began checking the dials and gages. Celeste sat on the bench seat behind him, quietly watching as the guys hauled the pots on deck. The boat phone rang and Bill gingerly picked it up.

"What's the story Zack?" asked Bill.

"I need another set of hands" said Zack.

"Roger" said Bill. "Stand by, I'll send someone."

Instead of picking up the hailer, Bill turned slowly in his chair. Celeste felt his eyes on her and looked up expectantly.

"What?" she asked, after a moment.

"Go down to the engine room and help Zack out" said Bill.

"Help him do what exactly?" asked Celeste, warily.

"Pass him some tools, use the boat phone if necessary" said Bill. "Easy stuff."

"Alright" said Celeste. "Do I need to wear anything special?"

"No, it's nice and clean down there" said Bill.

"Ok" said Celeste. "Just one question."

"What?" said Bill.

"How do I get there?" asked Celeste.

Bill gave Celeste directions to the engine room and he watched with mild amusement as she disappeared down the stairs.

* * *

Celeste was perched on an overturned crate watching the repair over Zack's shoulder. The ear protectors were too big for her small head and kept slipping down, Zack would look back and mouth or point to a tool, then Celeste would dutifully hand it to him. Zack turned and started talking to Celeste, while she'd been able to sort of figure out what he was saying before, this time she was stumped. Shaking her head for the third time, Zack reached up and pulled off her headphones.

"I need you to reach into the compartment and hold the wrench in place" he said.

"Just guide my hand and show me what to do" said Celeste.

Zack handed back the earphones and Celeste slipped them on her head. She thrust her hand into Zack's and he maneuvered it into the engine compartment. It took a moment, but eventually Celeste felt the wrench handle and grabbed it.

"HOLD ON TIGHT" yelled Zack. "DON'T LET IT TURN"

Celeste nodded and braced herself against the side of the engine. It was hot and even through the layer of her sweatshirt she could feel it burning her. She felt the torque of what ever Zack was turning and tightened her grip. She didn't want to have to do all of this again, so she stayed still and held on. After a good ten minutes Zack stood up and brushed the sweat off his forehead. Nodding to Celeste, she released her hold on the wrench and stood back. Zack quickly removed the remaining tools and closed the engine cover. He walked to the boat phone and called the wheelhouse. Celeste sat down heavily on the overturned crate and lifted her sweatshirt. There was a red welt where her skin had been in contact with the heated engine. She touched it gingerly and grimaced.

"What did you do?" asked Zack.

Celeste of course didn't hear him and stood up. Zack pushed her back and bent down, rubbing his grease filled fingers over her skin. Celeste pushed his hands away, leaving black streaks on her skin. Zack pulled her up and out of the engine room. He stopped in the galley for a first aid kit before pulling her towards his stateroom.

Celeste lay on Nick's bed in just her panties, the sweatshirt had been tossed carelessly to the floor and Zack was peering over her like a doctor examining a patient. He'd washed his hands in the bathroom before wetting a cloth to clean the grease off Celeste's stomach. Once she was clean he began to look at the burn more closely.

"Well, do you think I'm going to live?" asked Celeste.

"I think it's just a heat burn" said Zack. "But I can't figure out how you got it."

"The engine was hot" said Celeste. "And I had to lean against it to hold onto the wrench."

"You should have said something" said Zack.

"It's fine" said Celeste. "You said not to let go."

Zack pulled some burn cream out of the first aid kit and gently spread it over Celeste's reddened flesh. He took special care not to press too hard, he didn't want to hurt her more than he already had. Celeste closed her eyes, enjoying the cooling feel of the cream on her skin.

"Does it feel better?" asked Zack.

"Yes" said Celeste. "You have a very soothing touch."

"Well, I guess if crabbing doesn't work out, I can go to massage school" said Zack.

"I'd pay good money to get a massage from you" said Celeste with a smile.

"How did you like driving the boat?" asked Zack, changing the subject.

"It was stressful" said Celeste. "But exciting."

"Seems like you've had a lot of excitement on this boat" said Zack.

"Very true" said Celeste. "I'll be happy to get back on dry land."

"It shouldn't be long now" said Zack. "The boat is almost full."

"How many more trips will you have to take until you're done with your quota?" asked Celeste.

"It's hard to say" said Zack. "If we stay on the crab, then maybe three or four, if we have to search for them, then who knows."

"There is a lot of wait and see in your line of work" said Celeste, pensively. "Mine too."

"How long will you stay in Dutch?" asked Zack.

"I'll leave when about 50% of the crab destined for Japan has been caught" said Celeste. "Then I'll go and see how the markets react and where the price ends up, then I'll write my report and book my vacation."

"Maybe you can come visit me on your vacation" suggested Zack.

"Where would I be visiting you?" asked Celeste.

"In Washington" said Zack.

"It's cold in Washington in December" said Celeste, conversationally.

"I'd keep you warm" said Zack.

"Why don't you come visit me in California, where it will be warm" said Celeste.

"I'd love to" said Zack, immediately.

"Then it's a date" said Celeste.

"I've gotta finish this string" said Zack. "I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah, ok" said Celeste, her mind miles away.

She'd just realized what she'd done. She'd invited Zack to go to her house, her parents house, the house she never visits. Why had she done it. Dropping her head to chest, she crumpled into a heap on Nick's bed, her mind swirling.

* * *

Zack and Nick were chatting amicably while sitting at the galley table. They were the only ones there, the rest retiring to their bunks immediately after dinner. The twelve hour run to the processor was a gift they would not give up. Bill walked downstairs to refill his coffee when he overheard the boys talking.

"She invited you to her house?" said Nick in shock. "The house she never goes to. Are you sure?"

"Yes, she said come to California where it's warm" said Zack. "I don't even think she realized what she was saying."

"Do you think she'll follow through with it?" asked Nick. "I mean she could get off this boat and disappear forever."

"I don't think she's like that" said Zack. "I think she'll keep her promise."

"Don't get your hopes up Zack" said Bill, interrupting the conversation. "She's not all that you think she is."

"Why don't you like her?" asked Zack. "What has she done to you, to make you distrust her so much?"

"I'm just saying, she's not who she seems" said Bill. "Take it from someone who has a lot more life experience than either of you do."

"Tell me why specifically" said Zack, standing up. "What has she said or done to make her seem like she isn't worthy of our friendship."

Bill considered telling Zack everything he had done with Celeste, but stopped. If all he wanted was to be friends with the girl, then that was easily solved. She would go on to her job and Zack and Nick would conveniently lose her phone number, whether they wanted to or not. She would be a distant memory by the time King Crab was over.

"Well" prompted Zack.

"It's nothing" said Bill. "Just a feeling and it's probably wrong."

"Good, because I like her and so does Nick" said Zack.

"I wish you luck in your polyamorous relationship" said Bill. "I hope your friendship will survive."

"What did he just say?" asked Nick, in confusion.

"Who knows" said Zack. "He probably wants her all to himself."

"What? Why?" said Nick. "That's ridiculous."

Zack just shrugged in response, wondering what his dad wasn't saying.

* * *

The Cape Caution was less than an hour from Dutch Harbor. The guys were all out on deck, watching the buildings slowly get bigger and bigger. The boat had slowed slightly, having being told by the processor that they were unloading two boats before them. Bill sat in the wheelhouse, talking to the Discovery camera guy about his expectations for the season.

"So, Bill" said Cameron, mounting the camera, "we need a release from the girl."

"What girl" said Bill, his eyes hardening.

"The girl, that's been on your boat since we left Dutch almost three weeks ago" said Cameron.

"I don't know what you're talking about" said Bill.

"The girl, that sat in that chair, said Cameron, "driving your boat."

In that moment Bill realized that he had only sent the camera guy out of the wheelhouse with the camera the first time he'd met Celeste. He'd banished the camera guy each time after, but he never took the camera. Bill thought back to all the times Celeste had been in the wheelhouse, what she'd done and what he'd done.

"I don't know what you're talking about" repeated Bill.

"We're still going to use the tapes, even without her consent" said Cameron.

Bill gave him a brief questioning look then turned back to the wheelhouse windows.

"We will just blur out her face" said Cameron. "But it will still be a blurry faced girl driving your boat, sitting behind you, sharing ice cream with you."

The last statement made Bill freeze, if they saw the ice cream, then they would have obviously seen what had happened shortly after.

"If you can find this mysterious girl, then I suppose you can ask her" said Bill.

"If we can find her?" said Cameron incredulously. "She's on the boat, it shouldn't be too hard to find one girl."

"We'll see" said Bill, smugly.

Bill watched Cameron's retreating form and then reached for the boat phone.

* * *

Celeste sat in Bill's stateroom reading the last few chapters of Moby Dick. The book was finally getting exciting and she was anxious to finish it before the boat reached the dock. Nick and Zack were fast asleep and she had felt bad having the light on in their room, so she'd moved back into Bill's room, with his permission of course. The boat phone buzzed and she tentatively lifted the receiver.

"Don't talk, just listen" said Bill's voice. "The Discovery guys are looking for you, they want you to sign a release or something. I want to make sure they don't find you. So take your book and find somewhere to hide. The boys and I will find you when it's safe to come out."

Celeste heard the distinct clicking sound of the line disengaging and she mechanically hung up the phone. Looking around the room she searched for a place to hide. Not finding a suitable spot, she slipped on a sweatshirt and a pair of socks. Grabbing the book, she headed towards the door. The game of hide and seek was about to begin.


	12. Chapter 12

The Cape Caution had finished its offload and was now parked at the dock in Dutch Harbor. The crew was going to get a few hours of shore leave before the order of bait arrived. Bill watched as the two Discovery guys slipped across the deck heading to the forepeak. He smirked to himself and then turned to Zack in the port side chair and smiled.

"They aren't going to find her" he said with a grin.

"You don't know that for sure" said Zack. "We don't even know where she is."

"I told her to hide" said Bill. "She'll stay where she is until one of us finds her."

"Maybe we should start looking for her now" suggested Nick. "They've been looking for over twelve hours."

"We know this boat better than they do" said Bill. "Finding her will be a cinch."

"If you say so" said Nick.

"If worse comes to worse we can just call her over the hailer and ask her to come out" said Zack. "You know, once the Discovery guys are gone."

"We won't need to do that" said Bill. "She will be easy to find."

* * *

Celeste rolled her neck and tried to stretch her back. The deafening roar of the engines had finally stopped and she could now concentrate on the last few pages of her book. When Bill had told her to hide, she was up and out the door in a matter of minutes. She'd grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen before slipping into the engine room. When she'd helped Zack earlier in the trip, she noticed a bench in a small corner of the room. She meant to ask him what it was for but had forgotten. Celeste could lay on the bench and read her book with the aid of a flashlight. However, she'd forgotten how stupidly loud the engine room was and had to take a few minutes to find the ear protectors. She'd figured out that with the sweatshirt over her head and the ear protectors over the outside of the sweatshirt, they would stay put. Behind her were stacks of boxes, which she'd arranged to create a screen to hide her position from anyone coming into the engine room. She'd read and napped and then read some more. But now that her book was finished, she was ready for the game of hide and seek to end.

The Discovery crew had admitted defeat and had taken their tapes to the line producers at the Aleutian Hotel. Bill, Zack and Nick had fanned out across the boat, searching for Celeste. They were just starting their second circuit when Johnathan Hillstrand appeared on the deck.

"Hey, Wild Bill" said Johnathan, clapping his friend on the back.

"Oh, hey Johnathan, how's life?" said Bill, his eyes scanning the deck.

"What's up, you lose a deckhand or something?" said Johnathan, noticing Bill's distraction.

"Not exactly" said Bill.

Zack appeared on deck and looked at Bill expectantly. Bill shook his head and Zack scowled.

"Just use the hailer" said Bill.

"Roger" said Zack.

"You going to tell me what all this is about?" asked Johnathan.

"I'd really rather not" said Bill.

"Oh, now you have to tell me" said Johnathan. "Because I bet it's going to be a whopper of a story."

"Let's go up to the wheelhouse" said Bill.

As they walked inside, Zack's voice rang out over the hailer. Johnathan glanced at Bill, wondering who Celeste was and why she was being told to come out of her hiding spot.

In the wheelhouse Bill and Johnathan stood at the windows, glancing at the deck. Bill had given John a brief synopsis of what had happened on his boat. Johnathan was shocked, to say the least. Ten minutes later Celeste appeared in the wheelhouse. Bill took one look at her and his mouth dropped open. She was dressed in the clothes she'd come onto the boat in, a short black lace dress and heels.

"Wow" said Johnathan.

"Hi" said Celeste, reaching over to shake Johnathan's hand. "I'm Celeste, the Cape Caution's unintentional stowaway."

"So, we're going to walk her back to the hotel" said Zack.

"We can all go" said Bill. "I at least owe her a drink for being so hard to find."

"Sounds good to me" said Celeste.

"Where were you hiding?" asked Johnathan.

"In the engine room" said Celeste.

"What?" said Zack. "I looked in there, twice."

"I was on the bench behind the pile of boxes" said Celeste.

"I'm surprised you're not deaf" said Bill.

"I wore the ear protectors" said Celeste. "And I finished the book."

"You must be starving" said Nick, joining the group in the galley.

"Kind of" said Celeste. "But I can eat at the hotel."

"So, Celeste" began Johnathan. "What was your favorite part of being on the Cape Caution?"

"How nice Zack, Nick and Bill were" said Celeste, thoughtfully. "I also had fun driving the boat."

"You drove the boat?!" said Johnathan, shock spreading over his face.

"Lets get a drink" said Bill, pulling Celeste to the side of the boat.

Zack climbed up first and then Nick picked up Celeste, handing her to Zack. Both Bill and Johnathan got a nice view of her pink panties.

"Well, she certainly isn't bad to look at" said Johnathan. "Have you seen those panties before?"

"Maybe a glimpse or two" said Bill, cagily.

"I can't imagine what your first trip was like" said Johnathan.

"I didn't even find her until five days into the trip" said Bill. "Zack and Nick kept her hidden in their room."

"She stayed in a stateroom for five days" said Johnathan.

"She came out to go to the bathroom, Nick took her out to look at the stars one night, and she snuck into the galley to eat my ice cream bars" said Bill.

"And she lived to tell the tale?" said Johnathan with a smirk.

"She's lucky she's cute and funny" said Bill.

"Cute?" said Johnathan. "She's younger than your son."

"Yeah, well" said Bill.

"What?" said Johnathan. "Your kid and his friend like her. Clearly you see that."

"She's not right for him...them" said Bill.

"Why's that?" said Johnathan.

"She's just not" said Bill. "Trust me."

"Are you right for her?" asked Johnathan.

Bill studiously ignored the question and walked faster in order to catch up with Celeste and the boys.

* * *

At the hotel Bill and Johnathan headed to the bar. Nick and Zack followed Celeste to the bank of elevators. Bill didn't realize that the guys hadn't followed him until he'd ordered his first drink.

"Where the fuck did they go?" asked Bill.

"Don't worry about it" said Johnathan. "She's probably just changing her clothes. I'm sure they will all be down in a moment."

Bill slammed back his drink and began to walk out of the bar.

"Bill, buddy" said Johnathan. "Don't sweat, get another drink. If they aren't down in half and hour then we can get a passkey from the front desk and bust up their little party."

"Fine" said Bill, glancing at his watch. "Thirty minutes."

Johnathan watched Bill, wondering what the hell was up. He'd never seen Bill so worried about his kid and a girl. It took him a moment to realize that something must have happened on the boat.

"So what happened on the boat?" asked Johnathan.

"Nothing" said Bill.

"Something happened to make you act like this" said Johnathan sagely.

"We've known each other for a long time" said Bill. "Don't make me kick your ass in the middle of this bar."

"You want to kick my ass because I asked about what happened on your boat?" said Johnathan in surprise.

Bill turned away, checking his watch again.

"You like her" said Johanthan.

"What?" said Bill.

"You like her" said Johnathan. "You think she's wrong for Zack because you want her to yourself."

"Shut the fuck up" said Bill. "You couldn't be more wrong. Her parents died when she was in high school, she never goes to their house, she has some sort of sex addiction and she lives in hotels all over the world."

"She's a sex addict" said Johnathan. "How did you find out that little tidbit?"

Bill gave Johnathan a scowl and turned away.

"Did you have sex with her?" asked Johnathan, dropping his voice to a whisper.

"It doesn't matter" said Bill. "She's not a good match for Zack, or Nick, or really anyone."

"Except you" said Johnathan.

"She wouldn't break my heart" said Bill, firmly. "I'm pretty sure she would break Zack's or Nick's.

"And you're trying to protect them?" asked Johnathan.

"Yes" said Bill. "Their time is up."

With a sigh, Johnathan followed Bill up to the desk and once they had the key in their hands they headed to the elevators.

Zack, Nick and Celeste fell through the door into her small hotel room. Celeste ran to her suitcase, throwing it open and selecting some fresh clothes. Zack and Nick sat on bed and watched Celeste walk into the bathroom. Picking up the remote Nick turned on the set and the two friends sat back to watch some tv.

"Should we order food?" asked Celeste.

"No" said Nick. "Change your clothes and then we'll go down and have a drink."

"I'm taking a shower before I go anywhere" said Celeste.

"Make it quick" said Zack. "My dad's only going to wait to buy us drinks for so long."

"Fine" said Celeste. "I'll do it as fast as I can."

Nick and Zack glanced at the door of the bathroom. In Celeste's hurry she hadn't bothered to close it. The boys could watch her strip off her clothes and step into the small shower. They watched unabashedly as she washed her hair and soaped her body. The smell of her shampoo and soap filtered into the bedroom. Nick smiled, the smell reminded him of the first night he'd gotten to sleep with her. The sound of the shower stopping drew both Zack and Nick's attention. They both watched as Celeste slipped out of the shower and quickly dried off. Wrapping her head in a towel she walked out into the bedroom and picked up the clothes she'd set out. She smiled as she slipped on a pair of red underwear and a matching bra.

"Do you think jeans and a shirt will be ok for a drink?" asked Celeste.

"I think you should wear another dress" suggested Zack.

"Seriously?" asked Celeste. "If I end up on another boat I think I should at least have some pants."

"Who's boat do you think you're going to find yourself on this time?" asked Nick.

"I'd only want to go wherever you two are" said Celeste.

"Get dressed" said Zack.

Celeste pulled on the jeans, slid on her shirt and was just putting on her socks when the key in the door drew the rooms attention. Bill burst into the room with Johnathan hot on his heels.

"What the fuck do you think you guys are doing?" bellowed Bill.

"Putting on my socks" replied Celeste. "Sorry, we took so long but I took a shower."

Bill looked over the rooms inhabitants, trying to determine if anything nefarious happened.

"Are you ready to go get a drink?" asked Johnathan, trying to defuse some of the tension.

"Absolutely" said Celeste. "I'm ready for two."

Down in the bar Celeste sat between Nick and Zack. Bill hovered behind her, effectively interrupting anyone who tried to speak to her. Celeste finished her second drink and set it down on the bar. She turned slowly on her barstool and grabbed Bill's arm. She pulled him down, dragging him closer to her mouth. His eyes darted back and forth wondering what she was going to do. Turning him at the last minute her mouth brushed against his ear.

"What the fuck is your problem?" whispered Celeste. "I don't know what it is you're trying to do, but I want you to stop it."

She let go of his arm and turned back around. Bill stood up stiffly, his eyes drifting around the room. His eyes fell on Johnathan who smirked at him. Bill refocused and frowned.

"We're going to the bar to meet the rest of the guys" said Bill. "Do you want to come with us?"

Nick and Zack looked expectantly at Celeste.

"No thanks" said Celeste. "That is where this whole adventure started. I'm going to have some dinner and take a very long, very hot bath."

"Let's go you chuckleheads" said Bill.

Zack and Nick hesitated, they wanted to stay with Celeste, but they didn't want to anger Bill more than they already had.

"I'll see you guys later" said Celeste. "Here's my phone number."

Celeste fished her card out of her purse and handed one to Zack, Nick and Bill. Johnathan put out his hand and Celeste dutifully pulled out another card and pressed it into his hand. He looked down at the card and frowned.

"Are you the one that decides the quota?" asked Johnathan.

"I write a report that helps to determine quotas" said Celeste. "But what I say isn't the end all be all. I don't make the quotas."

"Why are you up here?" asked Johnathan.

"I'm watching how fast the crab is being caught here and then I'll follow it over to Asia and see what it's being bought for, how much is being purchased and what the demand will be in the season to come" explained Celeste.

"I think some of the other Captains would like to have a chat with you" said Johnathan, studying her card.

"Well you know where I am" said Celeste. "Stop by any time."

With that she slipped off the stool and gave Zack and Nick brief kisses on the cheek. Bill watched her walk out of the bar, he wondered what she'd just gotten herself into.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: I own nothing.

* * *

Johanathan Hillstrand led his merry band of crabbers through the quiet halls of the Aleutian Hotel. The key he'd liberated from Bill's pocket at the bar was clutched in his hand. Johnathan stopped at Celeste's door and quietly slipped the key into the reader. Opening the door silently he walked in, letting the others follow behind him. The guys stopped a few feet inside the door, all eyes were on the girl asleep on the bed. Celeste had been true to her word, she'd gone up to her room, ordered a bottle of wine and taken a long hot bath before changing into a nightgown and falling asleep on top of the bed. She'd moved in her sleep, shifting the nightgown over her hips leaving her tiny purple panties on display.

"Wow" said Andy. "Are you sure this is the quota girl?"

"Yep, that's her" said Johnathan. "Although last time I saw her panties they were pink."

Every guy in the room turned to look at Johnathan for an explanation.

"What?" he said defensively. "She was climbing over the railing of the Cape Caution in a dress."

"Well, I have crab to catch, so wake her up" said Sig.

"I'll do it" volunteered Edgar.

He moved quickly over to the bed and sat down next to the sleeping girl. Stroking her hair back from her face he looked at her sleeping visage. His hand ghosted over the hem of her nightgown before dropping to her leg. He rubbed her leg tenderly, feeling the softness of her skin. In response Celeste opened her legs wider in invitation. Edgar was just sliding his fingers up when Sig interrupted.

"We don't have time for this shit" he said angrily. "Wake her up."

Celeste bolted upright in bed and Edgar quickly pulled her to his chest, placing a hand over her mouth as she started to scream.

"My way would not have ended in her screaming" said Edgar. "Well, at least not screaming in fear."

Celeste's eyes darted around the room, looking at the unfamiliar faces until she landed on Johnathan's. She looked at him, her eyes confused and hurt.

"We aren't here to hurt you" said Johnathan, walking towards the bed. "You said I could stop by whenever I wanted, to talk to you about the quotas."

Edgar leaned down to whisper in Celeste's ear.

"I'm going to let go of your mouth, sorry if we scared you" he said. "I don't want to hurt you."

He carefully removed his hand from Celeste's mouth and smoothed her hair behind her ear.

"When I said, stop by anytime I sort of expected a knock at the door preceding the visit" said Celeste.

"We don't really work that way" said Andy.

"Clearly" said Celeste, rolling her eyes.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I have an actual quota to catch, so I'd like to see how that is determined" said Sig.

"Um, sure" said Celeste. "But all I have is the quota information and reports from last year. It will show you why your quota is what it is for this season."

"That's perfect" said Johnathan.

"Ok, let me get my computer" said Celeste.

She climbed out of bed, flashing the guys another look at her underwear before her nightgown covered it.

* * *

An hour later Sig, Johnathan and Andy were reading the very lengthy report on the Red Crab quota. Celeste had returned to the bed after going to the bathroom and brushing her teeth. Settled back in bed, she and Edgar were watching TV.

"Why aren't you pouring over that thing, like it holds the meaning of life?" asked Celeste.

"Because, I'm really a deckhand at heart" said Edgar. "Sig always tells me what to do."

"You don't get any input?" said Celeste.

"No" said Edgar. "He's the captain and no one is going to be allowed to forget."

"Sounds like a blast" said Celeste.

"How was the Cape Caution?" asked Edgar, changing the subject.

"Fine, once I got over the shock that I was on it, in the middle of the Bearing Sea" said Celeste.

"I can't believe Bill didn't throw you off the minute he found you" said Edgar.

"He was already fishing by then" said Celeste. "I stayed well hidden until day five."

"Where?" said Edgar.

"In Zack and Nick's stateroom" said Celeste. "It wasn't that hard, since they spent a grand total of three hours a day in there while they were dropping pots."

"Yeah, but that's still crazy" said Edgar.

"It will be an interesting story to tell my children" said Celeste.

"Are you married?" asked Edgar.

"No, why do you ask?" said Celeste.

"Because you said you'd tell your children" said Edgar.

"Well, my theoretical children" said Celeste. "I'm pretty sure I have plenty of time, I'm only 23 years old."

"Twenty three?" said Edgar. "And you already work for the crab quota people? That's impressive."

"The crab quota people have a name, it's the Federal Trade Commission" said Celeste with a chuckle. "They have thousands of employees, it's not that hard to get a job with them."

"Whatever, we call them the quota nazis" said Edgar. "But I'm going to call you the sexy quota girl."

"I have a name too, it's Celeste."

"Hi Celeste, I'm Edgar."

The duo shook hands and settled down to watch another show.

* * *

Celeste leaned over Sig, explaining the finer points of the report. She was showing him the raw data and how it was calculated with other outside market issues to create the quota. He'd asked her so many questions that her neck was starting to hurt from bending over. Deciding she needed to sit, she moved into Sig's lap before continuing her explanation. Sig's hands went immediately to her hips, holding them gently as she continued to talk.

"I'm not crushing you am I?" asked Celeste after a few minutes. "My legs and neck were hurting from standing like that."

"No, I'm fine" said Sig. "Tell me about the other factors, that go into determining the quota."

"I have a list of them" said Celeste.

She leaned forward and began pulling up documents, explaining fuel costs, bait, and other factors.

"You can see the lists here, there are quite a few and we consider every one" said Celeste. "I'm going back to lay down."

Sig released her hips and Celeste stood.

Stretching her back she turned back to the bed, where Edgar was still watching TV. He pulled back the covers and patted the bed as an invitation. Celeste climbed in, pulling the covers over her legs.

"Is your neck hurting?" asked Edgar.

"Just a little, standing like that, for so long was painful" said Celeste.

"I can massage it for you" said Edgar. "Sit in front of me."

Celeste looked back at the clutch of guys staring at her computer and then at Edgar. She thought for a moment and then moved in between his spread legs. Edgar pulled her back so that she was sitting where he wanted her. His hand moved her blond curls out of the way while the other hand grasped the base of her neck. His strong fingers began kneading the muscles, slowly. Celeste's head dropped forward and a low moan escaped her lips. Edgar's hand slipped over the soft flesh of her neck working out the small kinks. His other hand tangled in her hair, scratchin her scalp with his short nails.

"That feels so good" murmured Celeste, her eyes closing.

"I'm glad it makes you feel good" whispered Edgar, his mouth against her ear.

Edgar's hand left her hair and travelled down the side of her arm before moving to the hem of her nightgown.

"How do they determine what price the crab will sell for?" asked Sig, turning towards the bed.

"We follow it to Asia" said Celeste, her eyes still closed.

Edgar's hand slipped up her thigh rubbing gently, before stilling.

"Who follows it?" asked Sig, his eyes straying to Celeste's hardened nipples.

"I follow it this year" said Celeste. "Now that the first offload is complete I'll finish gathering my hard data and then leave for Japan."

"So if they crab is popular over there the quota will go up?" pressed Sig.

"Possibly, but we have to look at the dangers of over fishing, by catch, environmental changes, lots of stuff" explained Celeste. "But if the crab gets a good price, then the price per pound should go up, even if the quota goes down."

"So, either way it's a win win situation for us" said Sig.

"For established boats, with quota, yes" said Celeste. "But if the quota goes down, it could put boats on the fringe out of business."

"Can you make sure the price goes up?" asked Johnathan.

"No, I just give my report, I don't determine the quota or the prices" said Celeste.

"But you can change information in your report to make it in our favor" said Andy.

"I'm not going to change anything, I'm not getting fired" said Celeste. "Besides, sometime if things look favorable on one side, something else could make the quota or price go down. Like a few years ago, there was a rise in ocean temperatures, which led to more food for the crabs which made them bigger, so boats met their quota faster, but there wasn't enough physical crab in the market to meet the demand. That made the quota go up the following year and it had nothing to do with the market price."

"What is this suggested synopsis thing?" asked Sig.

"It's where I write what I think should happen to the quota" said Celeste. "I write one every year, you can look back through all of them. They are saved under the desktop folder called synopsis."

Sig and the others turned back to the computer and began to read.

Edgar's hand resumed it's massage of Celeste's neck. His other hand stroking her thigh.

"Can I touch you?" whispered Edgar, his tongue reaching out to lick the shell of Celeste's ear.

"Yes" said Celeste, her voice barely a breath.

His hand drifted over her thigh, bringing up the hem of her nightgown past the top of her purple panties. Slipping his hand under the waistband he found her freshly shaved pubic mound. His discovery caused him to moan quietly into Celeste's ear. Celeste giggled silently and spread her legs open. Edgar's fingers walked their way down to her opening, seeking out her pleasure center. The hand, that had been massaging her neck pulled the blanket up farther. Once her breasts were covered, Edgar moved his hand under the nightgown to pluck at her nipples. Celeste spread her legs further, showing Edgar what she wanted. Taking the hint, his fingers dipped into her wetness, spreading it up to clit. His hand moved effortlessly against her pleasure button, driving her closer and closer to climax. Pulling her back slightly, Edgar settled her bottom flush with his cloth covered erection, grinding it against her. Celeste moved her hand back and slipped it into Edgar's sweats, finding him hot and hard.

"I want to touch you" whispered Celeste, into Edgar's ear.

"Please do" said Edgar, his voice husky with passion.

Celeste resumed her ministrations, bringing Edgar to the edge with her soft hand. He stepped up his manipulations and soon they were both stifling their orgasms.

Johnathan watched their mutual culmination with a frown. Bill had said the girl was some sort of sex addict, which after what he'd just witnessed, could very well be true. Turning back to the computer he saw Sig shaking his head and chuckling quietly.

"Hey, I'd warn Edgar to tread lightly" said Johnathan.

"He's just having some fun" said Sig. "If he wasn't a fisherman he'd probably be a gigolo."

"Well, Bill seems to have a very keen interest in her" said Johnathan.

"What?" said Sig, stunned. "She's younger than his son."

"Yeah, well the son has a bit of a thing for her too as does one of the other deck hands" said Johnathan. "So Edgar probably wants to steer clear of the whole mess."

"How did you meet this girl again?" asked Sig.

Johnathan took a few minutes to tell Sig the story Bill had told him. Adding in his personal observations of how all three guys acted when she was around.

"That is one fucked up situation" said Sig, when Johnathan had finished.

"I know" said Johnathan. "I'm glad it didn't happen on my boat."

"Although on our boat we always share our toys" said Andy.

"I wouldn't share her" said Sig to himself.

* * *

On the bed, Edgar and Celeste caught their breath. Celeste slipped her hand out from under the sheet and gave it a tentative lick. Edgar followed suit, cleaning his fingers.

"You taste delicious" he said with a smirk.

"Thanks" said Celeste. "You aren't so bad yourself."

"Maybe next time I can try it direct from the source" said Edgar with a leer.

"Sure" said Celeste. "Maybe without an audience."

Edgar glanced over his shoulder and saw the guys looking at the computer. Realizing they were probably going to be finished soon and he would be back on the boat pulling pots.

"How long will you be in town?" asked Edgar.

"I don't know" said Celeste. "It depends on how fast the other boats finish their trips. I'll follow the first third of the fleet's total quota over to Japan, and see how the market reacts."

"Sounds like fun" said Edgar. "I've always wanted to go to Japan."

"Do you like long flights?" asked Celeste.

"Not really" said Edgar.

"Well the flight to Japan is really long" said Celeste.

"I bet if I went with you, we could find something to pass the time" said Edgar, his hand slipping under Celeste's nightgown to fondle her breast.

"I bet we could" said Celeste, her fingers curling around Edgar's softened cock.

Their next interlude was cut off by Sig, sitting down on the corner of the bed.

"Well, Celeste" he began. "Thank you for a very enlightening evening."

"You're welcome, although it is technically morning" said Celeste, pointing to the clock.

"Well, we should let you get your beauty sleep" said Sig. "Come on Edgar, leave the girl alone."

"If you're here when we get back can I come see you?" asked Edgar.

"Sure" said Celeste. "Let me give you one of my cards, then you can text me and find out where I am."

Celeste climbed out of bed and went to retrieve a small stack of cards from her briefcase. When she bent over the purple panties were again on display, this time with a small wet spot in the middle. Standing up, she passed the cards out to Sig, Edgar and Andy.

"I trust you have the one I gave you earlier" she said to Johnathan with a smile.

"Oh yes" said Johnathan, patting his pocket.

"Good" said Celeste. "Well it was nice meeting all of you. Maybe we will see each other again sometime."

"I certainly hope so" said Edgar, bending down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

Celeste just smiled in response and opened the door, ushering the four men out of her room and into the hall.

* * *

Bill turned the corner heading down the hall to where Celeste's room was located. He was surprised to see Johnathan, Andy, Sig and Edgar standing outside her door. Walking a little faster, he was determined to find out why they were there and what they were doing with Celeste. Theories of what happened began to swirl in his head, culminating in a vision of her servicing all four men at once.

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" said Bill, his voice booming in the empty hallway.

"Told you" said Johnathan to Sig.

"We came to see what the little trade commission girl could tell us about the quotas" said Sig. "Why are you here?"

"Checking up on Celeste" said Bill. "Making sure she isn't suffering any post traumatic stress from her trip."

"I thought you said she was well taken care of?" said Johnathan.

"She was" said Bill.

"So why are you checking up on her?" pressed Johnathan.

"You know what?" said Bill. "You should mind your own fucking business."

Sig, Edgar and Andy shared looks of surprise at Bill's very uncharacteristic outburst. But Johnathan could not leave well enough alone.

"Where are Zack and Nick?" asked Johnathan. "I'm sure they want to make sure Celeste is feeling good."

"They are back on the boat" said Bill. "Where you should be, don't you have some quota to catch?"

"I do" said Johnathan. "And so do you, but here you are, outside a hotel room door in the middle of the night, checking on a girl you just saw like three hours ago."

"You know what" began Bill, advancing on Johnathan.

"Knock it off" said Celeste, opening the door.

She grabbed Bill by the collar, hauling him into the room.

"Good night gentlemen" she continued. "I hope to see all of you again."

With that she closed the door, leaving four very confused guys in the corridor.

* * *

Inside the hotel room, Celeste rounded on Bill. Pushing him until he was sitting on the bed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked, slightly breathless. "I know you have a boat to go back to, but if I get kicked out of this hotel I'm going to be sleeping in a rental car."

"I" said Bill.

"No, you don't get to speak" said Celeste. "I don't know what your deal is but you need to knock this shit off. First in the bar with Zack and Nick and now in the hallway with your colleagues. Your jealous husband act has got to stop."

"It's not an act" said Bill. "I'm concerned for you safety and you don't have the best track record of making good decisions."

"What are you talking about?" said Celeste. "You've known me for two weeks, you have no idea the decisions I've made in my lifetime."

"Lets start over" said Bill.

"Fine, why are you here?" asked Celeste.

"Just making sure your unexpected voyage didn't leave any permanent scars" said Bill.

"Nothing physical" said Celeste. "Although, I'm sure there are some mental ones."

Bill turned to her, his face chagrined. He studied her for a moment and Celeste just let him. She took a sip of wine from the glass on the nightstand and looked out the window at the beautiful Alaskan night.

"I" began Bill, before stopping.

Celeste turned to him, waiting to hear what he was going to say.

"I, don't know what to say" said Bill.

"Why are you really here?" asked Celeste.

"I wanted to make sure you're ok after your sexual episode" said Bill.

"I'm fine" said Celeste. "I'm not ashamed of anything I did on the boat."

That was just the opening Bill needed.

"Neither am I" said Bill. "I want you."

The way he said it, the heat in his voice, changed the temperature in the room. Celeste studied Bill and for the first time noticed that his breath was coming fast and she could see the pulse in his throat. He was anxious or nervous.

"You want me to do what?" asked Celeste, warily.

Bill searched his mind for a way to broach the subject.

"I think you're ready to learn another lesson" said Bill, his grin a combination of playful and scary.

"I'm not interested in being spanked again" said Celeste.

"That was a punishment" said Bill. "You remember your lesson, don't you?"

"The one about patience" said Celeste.

"That's the one" said Bill. "But I think you've learned to be a little more patient."

"So what would this new lesson be?" asked Celeste.

"I think this one should be an oral lesson" suggested Bill with a smirk.

"You want me to suck your cock?" asked Celeste blandly.

"Who said anything about who would be doing what" said Bill.

Celeste tilted her head and considered the proposition. The last lesson she'd received from Bill had been quite stimulating and she had no doubt this one would be the same.

"I'm not going to hurt you" said Bill, moving towards her.

"I didn't think you were" said Celeste.

Bill stood in front of Celeste and plucked the wine glass from her hand, setting it on the table next to her computer. He gathered her into his arms, hugging her tightly. She could feel his erection pressing into her stomach. Stepping back he reached for the bottom of her nightgown and pulled it over her head, leaving her in just her underwear.

"Gorgeous" murmured Bill as pulled off her panties.

"I think you are overdressed" said Celeste, reaching for Bill's shirt.

He allowed her to unbutton it and pull it off of him. Stepping back Bill toed off his shoes and unbuttoned his pants. Celeste laid back against the pillows and watched with increasing interest. Bill's eyes never left her's as he removed the last vestiges of his clothing. Naked as she was, he climbed into the bed.

In an instant Bill's hands were on Celeste, roaming over the soft contours of her flesh. His mouth captured hers in a bruising kiss. Celeste pulled back, offering her neck to Bill's intensity. He nipped and bit at her pulse point, causing Celeste to cry out at the sensation. Abandoning his original plan he flipped Celeste over so she was astride him and then began to maneuver her over his aching cock.

"You said this was an oral lesson" said Celeste.

"Fine, put your pretty little pussy up here" said Bill.

Celeste began to climb up Bill's chest, but his quirked eyebrow told her exactly how he wanted her positioned. With a sigh she turned around so they were in the traditional sixty nine position. Then she scooted back until her pussy was hovering over Bill's face. His hands wrapped around her thighs and pulled her down. His tongue licked her clit before moving over her perineum until it reached her rosebud. It lapped there for a moment before moving back to her clit. Bill smiled at his discovery and resumed his ministrations. Celeste's eyes closed as she gave herself over to the pleasure of Bill's mouth on her body. She opened her eyes as she felt Bill press her forward slightly. Sighing, she leaned forward and took his cock into her mouth. The moan that she tore from Bill's throat reverberated through her body. Celeste hummed slightly as she moved her mouth over Bill's swollen flesh. In response to her actions Bill slid two fingers into her aching pussy, slowly sawing them in and out. His mouth had moved back up to her ass, kissing her cheeks. Her rhythm faltered slightly when he slid a finger into her ass. She was close and wasn't sure if she wanted to make Bill come with her or wait to see what he had planned next. Deciding to be selfish she slowed her mouth and allowed her body to concentrate on drawing pleasure from Bill's questing fingers. After a moment she slid her hand down to pluck at her abandoned clit. It took only a few minutes before she was cumming all over Bill's hands. In a flurry of movement Bill flipped her onto her back and drove into her, pounding into her still fluttering pussy.

"God, you are beautiful" said Bill, between pants. "Touch yourself."

Celeste complied slipping her fingers down her body to pluck gently at her clit. Bill's hips worked like a piston, firing in and out. He watched as her finger danced over her clitoris. Her rhythm changed and he knew she was close. Clenching his teeth, he held out until her orgasm hit before tumbling over the edge himself. He rolled off of Celeste and gathered her into his arms. Reaching down he pulled the bedcovers over them and they settled into sleep.


	14. Chapter 14

Bill woke when the first ray of sun flitted through the hotel room curtains. Celeste was still curled into a ball behind him. Rolling over he collected her into his arms, tightening them around her waist and drawing her flush with his body. In response she struggled slightly before settling back into sleep. Bill looked down at the girl in his arms and wondered what the hell he was doing. He should get up, get dressed and get back to his boat. But he couldn't seem to pull himself from her bed. He didn't like feeling like this. He didn't like the hold this girl had over him, the way she captivated him and he especially hated how much his son liked her. She wasn't right for Zack, she wasn't good enough for him. His hands trailed over her bare back, pulling the blanket down. Her body came into view, the soft haze of the morning light making her skin glow.

"Why are you staring at me" said Celeste, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"I'm not" said Bill.

"You just moved a blanket off of me" said Celeste. "To what, check the tread count?"

"You have a smart mouth missy" said Bill, sternly.

"Yes, you learned that in yesterday's oral lesson" said Celeste, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Bill rolled Celeste onto her back so he could see her face. Her eyes were tired and she looked slightly nervous. Bill frowned, he didn't know if he wanted to fuck her or spank her. Deciding to do both, he moved Celeste to her knees. Celeste felt Bill's wet fingers probe her pussy and once he'd deemed her wet enough he plunged into her. She cringed slightly at the rough treatment. One of his hands squeezed her hip, driving her body back and forth. His other hand stroked the rounded globes of her ass for a moment before delivering a hard smack. Celeste cried out and tried to move away, but Bill held her fast.

"I don't like that" said Celeste.

"A bit of pain will ultimately lead to greater pleasure" said Bill, philosophically.

"I don't want to learn another lesson" said Celeste.

"I don't believe you ever bothered to learn the first one" said Bill.

Celeste bent her head to the pillow and clenched her inner muscles. The sooner Bill was finished the better. Bill felt as if his dick was caught in a vice, instead of slowing down he went faster, spilling himself into Celeste with a grunt. He slapped her ass one more time before pulling out of her. Celeste moved off the bed and into the bathroom, where she locked the door and started the shower. Bill looked at the closed door and had a moment of regret. He brushed away the feeling and got dressed. He left the room without even saying goodbye.

* * *

Zack and Nick woke up and started to load the bait onto the boat. The crew expected to leave for their second trip once the grocery shopping was finished. Zack and Nick hurried to finish their assignment so they could be on their way to the grocery store before Captain Bill appeared. They both assumed he was still sleeping, so they were very surprised to see him sauntering down the dock.

"Well, there goes our element of surprise" said Nick.

"Whatever, we still need groceries and we always go together" said Zack. "Hopefully he won't see it as weird."

Bill climbed down to the deck with practiced ease. He was happy to see the crew prepping the boat to leave. He was ready to throw the lines.

"Morning boys" said Bill, his voice light.

"Hey dad" said Zack. "Everything is all set. The only thing we have left to do is get the groceries."

"We've got the list" said Nick. "We just waited to see if you wanted to add anything."

"Get plenty of eggs" said Bill. "Just in case we see the Northwestern or Time Bandit."

Nick just shrugged and added it to the list.

"While you two are getting the groceries, I'm going to make sure everything is ship shape" said Bill. "Hurry back."

"Roger" chorused Nick and Zack.

* * *

Driving the borrowed truck to the Aleutian Hotel, Zack and Nick celebrated their good fortune. They'd been sure that Bill would balk at their suggestion to go shopping on their own. They were sure he'd tell them to stay away from Celeste. But he hadn't. Pulling into the hotel's small parking lot, they made sure to keep the truck hidden from the road. The pair raced up the stairs to Celeste's room and knocked anxiously on the door.

The door opened, seemingly by itself. Walking slowly into the room they realized that Celeste was standing behind the door. Their jovial looks were soon replaced by concern as they took in her appearance. Her skin was red and blotchy, her eyes swollen.

"Celeste, are you ok?" asked Zack, reaching for her.

She slunk back, avoiding his touch.

"What happened to you?" asked Nick.

Celeste shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. She walked towards the balcony, opening the small sliding door and walking outside to the railing. Zack and Nick hurried after her, afraid for a moment that she was going to jump. They stopped at the threshold, watching as Celeste took a deep breath and looked up to the sky. The warm rays of the sun made a halo out of her blond hair. Wiping her eyes, Celeste turned around to face them. Back lit, she looked like an angel. An angel that someone had hurt.

"Who did this to you?" asked Zack.

"I'm fine" said Celeste, her voice almost devoid of emotion.

"You've rubbed off the top layer of your skin" said Nick, looking at her arms.

"I'll be fine" repeated Celeste.

"You're scared to let us touch you" said Zack. "Someone hurt you. You need to tell us who it was."

"No" said Celeste.

"Please" pleaded Zack.

"If you won't tell us, you need to go to the clinic and get checked out" said Nick. "You could tell them."

"No" repeated Celeste. "Please don't make a big deal out of this. I'll be fine."

As if to prove her statement she stepped forward and tentatively kissed Zack, her hands tangling in the hair at the back of his neck. Opening his mouth he teased Celeste's lips with his tongue. She opened her mouth, slowly allowing Zack to deepen the kiss. After a moment he pulled back and looked in her eyes. He didn't see the normal desire that had been present before, just some sort of grim determination. Celeste turned suddenly and gave Nick the same kiss. He deepened the kiss and walked her backwards towards the bed. Laying her down he slid his hands to her hips, Celeste pulled back suddenly, her face awash with pain.

"What hurts?" asked Nick.

Not waiting for her to answer, he moved the waistband of her sweats, marring her pale skin were purple bruises.

"It's nothing" said Celeste. "I just ran into something. See they aren't on the other side."

She immediately pulled down the other side of the pants, showing her unblemished hip.

Zack sat on the edge of the bed and pulled Celeste into a sitting position. Nick settled on her other side. No one spoke and Celeste felt like she was holding onto her composure by a thread.

"If you won't tell me who, tell me what" said Zack.

Celeste shook her head, willing the tears not to fall.

"Ok, we're going to go" said Zack.

Nick walked to the desk and quickly scribbled a few numbers on a piece of hotel stationary.

"This is the number for the SAT phone on the boat" said Nick, handing Celeste the piece of paper. "Call us anytime."

"If we aren't up there, just ask for one of us" said Zack. "Or you can talk to my dad."

The last statement made Celeste cringe and her face immediately shuttered.

"Thanks" said Celeste, her voice tremulous.

Zack and Nick gave her gentle hugs and let themselves out of the room. Celeste walked over to the door and carefully slid the security lock into place.

* * *

Bill eased the boat away from the dock, watching the crew secure the buoys. Nick and Zack had been strangely silent all afternoon. They'd returned from grocery shopping in record time and had actually stuck to the list for the first time ever. The crew had loaded the food and then Bill had announced it was time to throw lines and get out of Dutch. He smiled to himself. They'd never even asked about going to see Celeste and he had a feeling that she'd be off to her next hotel before they got back. The thundering of feet on the wheelhouse stairs startled Bill from his thoughts. He turned just in time to see Zack and Nick enter the room.

"Hey dad" said Zack, breathlessly.

"Hey Zack-O" said Bill. "I would have thought you'd be heading to your room to get some rack time."

"I am" said Zack. "I just wanted to tell you that we gave Celeste the number to the SAT phone. So, don't freak out in case she calls."

"Why would you do that?" asked Bill. "This isn't some office job where you get time to make personal calls. That phone is for emergencies only."

"I know" said Zack. "But we think something happened to her and we gave her the phone number in case she needed to talk."

"What do you think happened to her?" asked Bill.

"We think she was sexually assaulted" said Nick.

Bill's eyes hardened.

"We saw her for a second before we went to get the groceries" said Nick. "She was all red from scrubbing in the shower and her eyes were puffy from crying."

"She wouldn't let us touch her" continued Zack. "Something happened to her."

"Did she tell you what happened and who did it?" asked Bill, his voice deathly quiet.

"No" said Zack. "She refused to even admit it happened."

"Well, who's to say it did" said Bill. "I mean maybe she just likes hot showers. She took enough of them on the boat."

"You wouldn't say that if you saw her" said Zack. "She looked completely broken."

"And she had huge purple bruises on one of her hips" said Nick. "They almost looked like fingers."

Bill blanched at the comment. He could admit he was less than gentle with Celeste but he didn't think he'd hurt her. His eyes narrowed at the thought of her with someone else after he'd left.

"I'll talk to her if she calls" said Bill. "Get some rack time before we get to the grounds."

Dismissed the boys walked down to their staterooms.

The moment the boys were out of earshot Bill picked up the radio and called the Time Bandit. He knew it was one of the guys he'd seen in the hall outside of Celeste's room and he was fuming.

"This is the Time Bandit, go ahead" said Johnathan's voice over the radio.

"Where are you guys?" asked Bill.

"I'm not giving away my secret fishing spot" said Johnathan.

"You're out fishing already?" asked Bill, surprised.

"Yep, we're pulling pots from our town soak" said Johnathan. "Are you still in Dutch?"

"Just leaving now" said Bill.

"Yeah, me and Sig took off last night, right after we saw you" said Johnathan.

"Sig left with you?" asked Bill.

"Yeah, we followed each other out of the harbor" said Johnathan. "Did something happen?"

Bill was silent. His mind was churning and he started to feel sick.

"No, just wondering" said Bill. "I've gotta go."

"Roger" said Johnathan.

Bill sat back in the chair and replayed his morning with Celeste in his mind. He'd been angry with her and wanted to punish her for the way she made him feel. He'd spanked her, even after she'd asked him to stop. And when it was over, she disappeared into the bathroom and he'd left. Realization of what he'd done to her slowly began to seep into his mind. His stomach churned and he almost didn't make it to the bathroom before he deposited his last meal into the toilet.

* * *

Celeste slogged through her work email, her mind miles away. The total amount of the crab quota was approaching the point where she could follow it to Japan. She was anxious to put Dutch Harbor behind her. She was sore from Bill's cruel use of her body and she'd taken so many showers that she'd run out of shampoo. Her heart hurt when she thought of how he'd treated her. She thought about Zack and Nick, they'd been so worried about her when they saw her. Their concern and compassion for her had made her feel a little better. Once they'd left, she'd taken another shower and thought about calling the boat to tell them what Bill had done. But she couldn't do that to their relationship as father and son. She should have just stayed in her hotel room and none of this would have ever happened. Banging her head down on the desk she was startled to hear her cell phone ring. Glancing at the number she quickly compared it to the number Nick had given her. Relieved that it didn't match, she answered the call.

"Hello?" said Celeste, her voice hesitant.

"Celeste? It's Johnathan."

"Oh, hi" said Celeste. "Do you have another question about the quotas?"

"No. Thanks for all the information the other night" said Johnathan. "I was wondering if you were ok?"

"Why would you ask that?" said Celeste, her voice growing scared.

"Because I just got a weird radio call from someone?" said Johnathan. "And I wanted to make sure you were ok after Bill visited you."

"I don't know what you're talking about" said Celeste, her voice hesitant. "I, I need to go."

"Did he hurt you?" asked Johnathan, his voice hard but laced with concern.

"I" began Celeste. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Oh honey" said Johnathan, his voice softening.

"It's fine" said Celeste. "I'm fine."

"I don't think you are" said Johnathan.

"I really am" said Celeste, with a sniff. "I have to go. I'll be leaving for Japan in a couple of days, so it was nice to meet you."

With that Celeste gently hung up the phone before turning it off completely. She turned back to her computer and started working on her preliminary report.

* * *

Johnathan rolled his conversation with Celeste around in his mind until the end of the string. When his brother Andy told him dinner was ready he was visibly surprised at the passage of time. He went downstairs and mechanically ate dinner before returning to the wheelhouse. Andy followed his brother up and took a seat in the port side chair.

"What gives brother, you've been distracted all day" said Andy.

"I think Bill hurt Celeste" said Johnathan. "But I can't believe it or understand why."

"What makes you think that?" asked Andy.

"I talked to her" said Johnathan.

"What did she say, exactly?" asked Andy.

Johnathan relayed the brief conversation to Andy. When he was finished Andy just sat in stunned silence until Johnathan began to speak.

"I mean, he wouldn't" said Johnathan. "I've known him for over twenty years and he would never. But she sounded so hurt and she seemed scared when I mentioned his name."

"Why would she lie" said Andy, thoughtfully. "She has nothing to gain."

"I know" said Johnathan. "She seems to genuinely like Zack and Nick and Bill. She protected Bill from making an ass out of himself in the hallway of the hotel."

"True" said Andy. "He was ready to kick your ass for no fucking reason."

"He likes her" said Johnathan.

"Then why would he hurt her?" asked Andy.

"He's obsessed with her" said Johnathan. "You should have seen him at the bar, when he was waiting for her and the boys to come down."

Johnathan explained about Bill demanding they leave to follow the trio, how he'd gotten a room key from the front desk and practically broke down the door trying to get into the room.

"So, he thought he was going to find them going at it" said Andy.

"Yep, and then when they were all together he wouldn't even let Zack talk to her without interrupting" continued Johnathan.

"That is some weird shit" said Andy. "Did you know she's only 23?"

"No, how did you find that out?" asked Johnathan.

"She told Edgar when they were watching tv" said Andy.

"Bill also said she's some sort of a sex addict" said Johnathan.

"How the hell did he find that out?" said Andy, his face in awe.

"He wouldn't say, but I think based on what I've observed, that she had sex on the Cape Caution" said Johnathan, thoughtfully. "With who or how many, I couldn't say."

"What the fuck" murmured Andy, shaking his head.

"Tell me about it" said Johnathan.


	15. Chapter 15

Bill threw the SAT phone down in disgust. He'd been trying for the past two days to reach Celeste, but her phone was still turned off. The awareness of what he'd done to her was making him physically sick. He hadn't been able to keep anything down since they'd left Dutch. He'd eaten and then promptly threw up the contents of his stomach the moment he sat in the chair. Zack had been so concerned he'd taken to sitting vigil in the wheelhouse. His presence made it impossible for Bill to try to call Celeste as often as he wanted. Then to add to his stress, Johnathan had called him on the radio asking how he was feeling. He hadn't said anything specific but his tone made Bill think he knew more than he was saying.

* * *

Thirty nautical miles away Johnathan sat in the wheelhouse of the Time Bandit contemplating his next course of action. He was very worried about Celeste, he'd already reached out to her and gotten no response. Sighing he picked up the radio and called the Northwestern.

Northwestern, go ahead" said Sig.

"Hey Sig" said Johnathan. "I need to speak to Edgar."

"He is currently throwing the hook, what do you need?" replied Sig.

"I need some help reaching a mutual friend" said Johnathan, cagily.

"Would this friend be someone we've met recently?" probed Sig.

"Yes, SHE is a very new friend" said Johnathan.

"Is she ok?" asked Sig, his voice becoming more serious.

"I think something may have occurred and she needs to be reached for her own safety" said Johnathan.

Sig considered asking another question but thought better of it, they were on a very public radio frequency and he had no idea who was listening.

"Roger" replied Sig. "I'll have him call you later."

"Thanks buddy" said Johnathan.

* * *

Bill fumed at the radio. He'd heard the conversation between Johnathan and Sig and was livid. It was about Celeste, that much he was sure of. If Johnathan couldn't reach her then she wasn't just ignoring him. Maybe she had already left and her cell didn't work in Japan. The thing that niggled in the back of his mind was that Johnathan said he was concerned about her, that he thought she need to be reached for her own safety. His musings were interrupted by Zack entering the wheelhouse.

"Hey dad" said Zack. "Here for wheel watch. Any calls from Celeste?"

"Hey Zack" replied Bill. "All quiet. No calls from anyone."

Zack's face fell slightly, but he perked up after a moment. Bill got out of the chair and headed down to his stateroom.

Hours later Bill trudged up the stairs to the wheelhouse. He felt like he'd gotten no sleep at all, his dreams were plagued by visions Celeste. He'd woken up in a cold sweat and more tired than he'd been when he'd gone to bed. Hearing voices from the chair he stopped and his blood ran cold.

"So, you didn't hear anything?" said Zack.

Bill realized he was on the SAT phone and not the radio. Letting out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding he walked quietly into the room.

"No, I've tried calling her cell and emailing her" said Zack. "But her phone is off and I've gotten no replies from the emails."

Bill frowned, he hadn't realized that Zack was trying to contact Celeste as well. His hopes that he and Nick would easily forget her seemed increasingly unlikely.

"I'm worried, but there's nothing I can do from here" said Zack. "I guess all we can hope for is one of us to get back to dutch to offload before she leaves."

Bill realized that he needed to be that boat. If he could get to Dutch before any of the other boats, he could talk to Celeste and make everything right. If he didn't and she told them what he did, he was toast.

* * *

The next few days, Bill was a man possessed. He was relentless, driving the guys to work harder and faster than they ever thought possible. His goal was singular, get the boat loaded and get to Dutch before anyone else. However, he wasn't the only boat working fast to fill their tanks. It was a shock to the Dutch Harbor processors to find out that not one but three boats would be in for their second offload in less than ten days. Bill had the throttle open and was steaming towards Dutch, burning fuel at an alarming rate. Zack, sat behind him, watching the boat dip across the building waves. The weather report was calling for a serious storm and from the look of the waves it was almost there.

* * *

Celeste placed the last item in her suitcase and closed the lid. She wheeled it to the door and set her computer bag next to it. Sighing heavily she walked back to the window and looked at the darkened skies. She hoped her plane would make it out of Dutch before the airport was closed because of the storm. It was suppose to be a whopper according to the girl at the front desk. Sitting down on the bed, she pulled her phone out of her purse and powered it on. Skipping to her voicemail page she erased all fifty voicemails without listening to a single one. Next she erased the call logs. Turning the phone off again, she put it back in her purse. Celeste had spent the past week working furiously on her reports. The bulk of the quota was ready to be sent to Japan and she was determined to meet it there. She'd filed her first report about conditions in Dutch Harbor and had once again maintained her fishery first mentality. She'd explained the increase in the cost of fuel and bait. She mentioned some of the ecological changes that forced the boats to fish farther from the harbor. Her report was well written and accurate, as usual. But what her bosses wouldn't see was the anguish she was in while writing it. How each word that was typed seemed to be torn out of her very soul. It had taken all of Celeste's inner strength not to breakdown completely. The bruises on her body had faded, the pain had too, but the bruises to her psyche were as painful as they'd been at the moment of infliction. Taking one last look around the room she picked up her things and walked out the door.

* * *

The cab slid across the icy streets. The arctic storm bringing unseasonably cold temperatures to Dutch Harbor, along with driving rain. On one tight turn the tires slid out for a moment before re-gripping the road.

"Don't worry, I'll get you there in one piece" said the driver.

A few minutes later the cab pulled up to the entrance of the Aleutian Hotel. The lone occupant paid the driver and then carefully picked their way across the drive to the doors. Bill bypassed the lobby completely and headed to the bank of elevators. Pressing the button he rode silently, his mind going through everything he wanted to say. Walking down the hall he saw the maid's cart in the hallway. As he got closer he realized that she was cleaning Celeste's room. Cursing to himself, he walked a little quicker. He hadn't wanted an audience for what he was going to say, but that didn't seem like it was in the cards. Approaching the room he raised his hand to knock on the open door. The housekeeper seeing him smiled in confusion.

"Can I help you sir?" she asked.

"Yes, is the occupant in there?" asked Bill.

"No, they checked out" said the maid.

Bill's face fell immediately and he quickly turned back to the bank of elevators.

While Bill was riding down Edgar, Sig and Johnathan were heading up. Edgar had called from the dock and inquired as to which room Celeste was currently staying in. He'd heard from a friend that the airport was closed until the storm passed and that no one matching Celeste's description had left on any flights in the last week. Johnathan had traded his previous key card for one of the master key cards he'd swiped from the bar manager.

"When are Zack and Nick going to meet us?" asked Johnathan.

"They said they would meet us in the bar as soon as they were finished cleaning up" said Sig.

"Where was Bill?" asked Johnathan.

"They didn't say" said Sig. "I assume they will bring him."

"The bar is as neutral a place as any" said Johnathan thoughtfully.

Edgar stayed quiet, he wasn't sure Celeste would want to see any of them. She'd been silently ignoring them for a reason. He wondered if they were all guilty by association.

Reaching the door Johnathan gave a tentative knock. Receiving no response he slid the key into the door and opened it slowly. The room was dimly lit by the bedside lamp and empty. The sound of sloshing water drew the trio from the bedroom to the bathroom. In the steamy room they could barely make out the figure in the bathtub, surrounded by red water.

"Oh shit" said Edgar, moving into the room.

Johnathan flipped on the light switch bathing the room in florescent lights. Celeste's eyes snapped open as Edgar hauled her out of the water.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying to grab a towel.

Edgar stilled her hands and carried her dripping body to the bed. He laid her out on the comforter and began a methodical search of her body. His hands flitted across her wrists, her arms, her legs and feet.

"What are you looking for?" asked Celeste.

"Blood" said Edgar.

"I'm not bleeding" said Celeste.

"Why is the bathwater red?" asked Sig.

"Because I spilled like half a bottle of red wine in it while trying to pour it in the dark" said Celeste. "Can I have a towel please."

Johnathan handed her a towel and she gratefully wrapped it around her shivering body. Sig walked over to her suitcase and made quick work of finding a pair of pajamas. He set them on the bed and then took a seat next to Edgar.

"Are you ok?" asked Johnathan.

Celeste stared out the window for a moment before turning back to face the men in her room. She'd hoped she wouldn't have to face any of them. That she would be long gone before they returned to Dutch Harbor. But her plans were thwarted by an arctic storm. She looked at their concerned faces, the fear sitting just behind their eyes.

"I'm fine" said Celeste, her voice even.

"You haven't returned any of our phone calls or emails" said Johnathan.

"I've been working" said Celeste. "You've been working."

"Something happened between you and Bill, I think he hurt you" said Johnathan bluntly.

"I..." began Celeste.

Then her mouth snapped shut and she turned back to the window. She looked outside at the newly falling snow.

"I'm sure it was my fault" she finally said, her voice so quiet that it almost wasn't heard.

Johnathan was gutted. He'd hoped she'd say it was an overreaction, that a game had gotten out of hand. But this, the realization that Bill had hurt her and that she blamed herself was sickening. Celeste turned around, her eyes on the carpet. She picked up the pajamas from the bed and quickly slipped them on. Edgar watched as her beautiful body disappeared from view. He hated Bill for what he'd done. Whether intentional or accidental it was unforgivable. The fun loving girl he'd met was gone, replaced by a timid shell. Celeste sat on the floor in front of the sliding door, watching the snow collect on the small balcony. Sig was the first one to move. He slid to the floor next to her and sat as close as he could without touching her.

"Is this the first time you've ever seen it snow?" he asked.

"No" said Celeste. "I've seen it many times before."

"How are your reports going?" asked Sig, changing the subject.

"I just sent my first one" said Celeste, her voice wavering. "Do you want to see it?"

"Sure, if you can show me without getting in trouble" said Sig.

"They won't know you read it" said Celeste.

She stood and retrieved the computer from her bag. Setting it on the desk, she pulled up the report and moved the chair out for Sig.

"You can get off the floor" said Celeste. "It's probably not good for your back."

"My back is fine" said Sig, wincing as he stood.

"Of course" said Celeste, with a chuckle.

She took her place on the bed with Edgar as Johnathan and Sig read her report.

"Where's Andy?" asked Celeste suddenly.

"He's bringing Nick and Zack a little later" said Edgar.

Celeste stiffened.

"You don't have to see them if you don't want to" said Edgar simply.

"They saw me before they left" said Celeste quietly. "They know...something happened."

"Will you tell me what happened?" asked Edgar.

"No" said Celeste, simply.

"It might make you feel better" said Edgar.

Celeste looked at Edgar with sad eyes and his heart broke for her.

"I don't see how it would and it would hurt other people" said Celeste, her voice quieting to a whisper.

"He doesn't deserve to be protected" said Edgar.

"It's my choice" said Celeste.

Edgar gently moved his hand over Celeste's and gave it a gentle squeeze. She startled slightly but then squeezed back.

* * *

Celeste followed Sig and Johnathan to the hotel bar. Edgar walked next to her, loosely holding her hand. Stepping over the threshold, she saw Zack and Nick sitting at a small table towards the back. They'd received a text from Edgar that Celeste was up for a drink and that Andy would come get them. Andy had picked them up and casually inquired about Bill. Zack and Nick told him they hadn't seen him since the offload finished. Celeste walked over to the boys, allowing them to gather her into gentle embraces.

Bill returned to the Grand Aleutian after an almost pointless trip to the airport. The only good part of the wasted journey was finding out that Celeste's original flight had been cancelled. Based on that information he'd returned to the hotel, set on finding her new room and talking to her. Walking through the doors he heard Johnthan Hillstrand's signature laugh emanating from the bar. He immediately turned and headed towards the noise.

Celeste saw him before anyone else did and she immediately clambered off the stool she was sitting on. Edgar, Johnathan and Sig all stood up, effectively blocking Bill from getting to her. Zack and Nick watched the change in atmosphere with rapt attention.

"I'm so sorry" said Bill, standing a few feet away from the group. "I didn't mean to hurt you, didn't even realize I had. I did something you didn't like and you asked me to stop and I didn't. I know that hurt you and I want to say I'm so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Matching looks of horror covered Zack and Nick's face. The realization that Bill had been the one to hurt Celeste was almost as hard to process as the fact that he'd been intimate with her. Zack felt sick and angry. All the warnings his dad had given him and Nick had been for selfish reasons.

Celeste moved slightly from behind Edgar and looked at Bill's broken expression. Her gaze shifted to Zack and Nick and she could see the fury building in their faces. This was the reason she hadn't wanted to tell anyone. A family would be torn apart because of her and she didn't want that to happen.

"I forgive you" she said simply.

Bill's mouth dropped open in surprise and his visage was shared by every other man at the table. Celeste resumed her seat and picked up her drink, taking a tentative sip. She realized that she would be on a plane to Japan in a few days and if her forgiveness allowed the rift between Bill and his crew to heal then it was vital.

"I don't deserve your forgiveness" said Bill, solemnly.

"Whether you think you deserve it or not, it is yours to do with as you please" said Celeste.

She finished her drink and excused herself to go back up to her room.


	16. Chapter 16

Zack and Nick watched Celeste leave the bar and then rounded on Bill. They lit into him immediately, their accusations were awful and Bill refused to defend himself. After a few minutes Johnathan stepped in and suggested they either have a drink or go check on Celeste. Yelling at their dad in the middle of the bar, wasn't going to solve anything. The boys agreed and headed up to her room. Tentatively knocking on the door they were admitted by a wary looking Celeste.

"Oh, hey" she said, moving aside so they could enter.

"Are you ok?" asked Nick.

"I guess" said Celeste. "Sort of numb. I didn't want this to happen, I'm sorry."

"The only person that should be sorry is my dad" said Zack, his face paling slightly.

"Anyway, I'm leaving in a few days and you'll be rid of me" said Celeste.

"We still want to be your friend" said Nick suddenly.

"Yeah, regardless of what happened" said Zack. "We still like you."

"That is sweet of you" said Celeste. "But it's misguided."

"But" began Zack.

"I mean I slept with your dad on the boat" said Celeste. "And had no problem doing it, that should be terrible. But I don't feel bad about doing it."

"I don't need to know why you did it" said Zack. "Friends don't judge."

Celeste stood gobsmacked at the boys admission.

"I think I can be a friend" said Celeste thoughtfully. "But not much more right now."

"Lets start with friends" said Zack.

Celeste's smile brightened and Zack scooped her up into a hug, cradling her to his chest for a moment before passing her to Nick.

Down in the bar Bill sat stiffly among his friends and colleagues. He felt incredibly uncomfortable. His eyes shifted over his companions, who seemed determined to remain stoically silent. Taking another sip of his drink he thought about what had just transpired.

"Why did she do it?" asked Bill, more to himself than anyone.

"Why did she do what?" asked Johnathan, spoiling for a fight.

"Why did she forgive me" said Bill, his voice almost a whisper.

"I don't know" said Johnathan. "I wouldn't. Hell, I doubt I could."

"She doesn't want to ruin the relationship you have with your son" said Edgar thoughtfully. "She wouldn't have said anything to anyone ever, because she wants to protect you and Zack and Nick."

"I guess I should have kept my mouth shut" said Bill.

"NO!" shouted Edgar. "You should have kept your hands off of her and your ears open. You should have listened when she said stop. You ruined her."

"I... what?" said Bill, shocked at Edgar's words.

"She was a fun loving girl when we left her room that night" said Edgar. "She was happy to show us her reports and explain them. She was friendly and outgoing and sexy as hell. Then when we saw her next, she was scared and sad. You did that to her, you crushed the light in her eyes."

"I didn't mean to" said Bill, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I want to fix it."

"But that's the thing" said Sig. "You can't. It may never be fixed."

"What are you saying?" asked Bill.

"We're saying that she will never be the girl you knew on your boat, or that we met that night" said Andy. "You changed her, because of what you did. That girl isn't coming back."

"How could she forgive me?" asked Bill again.

"I don't know" said Edgar.

* * *

A few days later the storm had cleared enough to allow planes to safely leave Dutch Harbor. Celeste was on one of the first planes out. She waved goodbye to Alaska and turned her sights towards Japan.

* * *

The Cape Caution returned to the fishing grounds, determined to put what happened out of their mind until they caught their quota. Zack and Nick had agreed to be civil to Bill. Bill in return had decided to just concentrate on finishing the season. The crew worked diligently and soon the boat was finishing their last trip. It was late November and while the Cape Caution wasn't the last boat to finish up, they certainly weren't the first.

Bill sat in the wheelhouse going over the last of the paperwork before heading to the airport. The season had been a successful one and he hoped that the fat checks the guys were getting would hold them over until Opies. His mind was miles away when Zack walked into the wheelhouse.

"Hey dad" he said, quietly.

"Hey Zack" replied Bill. "What's up?"

"I got an email from Celeste" said Zack.

"Is she ok?" asked Bill immediately.

"She's fine, in Malaysia or maybe Bali by now" said Zack.

"I bet she's nice and warm" said Bill.

"Definitely warmer than we are" said Zack. "But that's not what the email was about."

"Oh" said Bill, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"She's" began Zack. "She's still interested in having us at her house for Christmas."

"That's nice" said Bill. "Are you and Nick going?"

"Yes" said Zack. "But she wanted me to extend the invitation to you as well."

Bill looked up from his paperwork and studied Zack's face, trying to glean if what he was saying was true.

"She also wanted to say thank you for the flowers" said Zack.

"Yeah, well" said Bill. "It was the least I can do."

"Where did you send the flowers to?" asked Zack.

"Her hotels" said Bill, offhandedly.

"She said she's had a fresh bouquet of flowers in every single hotel room she's stayed in" said Zack. "All from you."

"It's just a way to say I'm sorry" said Bill.

"How did you even find out where she was staying?" asked Zack, his voice hardening.

"I called her office" said Bill. "I asked her secretary to send the flowers for me, gave her my credit card number and she said she'd take care of it."

"Celeste said it must have cost a fortune" said Zack. "Why are you doing this to her?"

"I'm not doing anything to her" said Bill. "I'm trying to say I'm sorry for what I did to her."

"You are freaking her out" said Zack.

"Obviously not freaking her out so much that she doesn't want me to go to her house" said Bill.

"I think she's just overwhelmed and confused" said Zack.

"If you don't think I should go, then I won't" said Bill.

"She wants you to be there" said Zack. "But if you touch one hair on her head I will kill you."

Bill looked up at Zack, anger and menace was written all over his face. Bill nodded in response, not trusting his voice.

The next few weeks were spent in correspondence with Celeste. Nick and Zack spent most of their days emailing back and forth with Celeste. The tone of the emails began to change, lightening as her spirit began to return. Bill had written her half a dozen emails, apologizing profusely in each one. Finally, Celeste told him to stop apologizing and sending flowers. She forgave him and that was the end of it. Bill still didn't think he'd atoned enough, but was willing to do what she wanted.


End file.
